Hotels group Accor starts internal probe on race discrimination allegations

French hotels group Accor said on Friday it had opened an internal probe into allegations in an Australia Broadcasting Corporation report that staff at one of its Australian hotels had been segregating guests according to their ethnic origins. ABC reported that Aboriginal guests at the Ibis Styles hotel in Alice Springs were purposely put in inferior rooms.

"Following an investigation released (by ABC) on the ibis Styles Alice Springs Oasis, the Group has opened its own internal probe," Accor said in an emailed statement. "Accor is an inclusive company which promotes respect for the individual and equal treatment of its employees and guests. Our ambition is based on a policy of openness and non-discrimination," it said.

Accor, the biggest hotelier in Australia, added that following the result of its investigation, it was committed to taking prompt and decisive action to avoid any kind of discrimination. 

(With inputs from agencies.)