March 19 (Reuters) - Shares in hotel group Accor fell nearly 9% on Thursday after U.S.-based short seller Grizzly Research said it had taken a short position in the stock and made allegations about a
French hotel chain Accor shares fall after Grizzly short seller report
Accor Responds to Grizzly Research Allegations and Market Impact
Accor Denies Allegations and Launches Investigation
March 19 (Reuters) - Hotel group Accor said on Thursday that it firmly denied involvement in allegations of exploitation and child trafficking made by short seller Grizzly Research, adding that it was carrying out an internal investigation and had hired an external firm to verify the facts.
Market Reaction to Grizzly Research Report
Accor shares fell as much as 10% earlier on Thursday after the U.S.-based short seller said it had taken a short position in the stock and published a report alleging a lack of safeguards around bookings.
Details of Grizzly Research's Allegations
In its report, Grizzly said it had sent reservation requests to almost 250 Accor hotels that were designed to raise red flags over human trafficking. Around 40 hotels complied with the requests, it said. Reuters could not independently verify the allegations made in the report.
Accor's Policies and Response Measures
Existing Safeguards and Audits
Accor said it has made the fight against human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children a priority and stringent policies and processes were in place as well as regular audits, the last of which was completed in 2025.
Future Actions if Allegations Are Confirmed
Legal and Disciplinary Measures
It said if any allegations were confirmed it would take all appropriate measures and reserved the right to prosecute parties involved in such practices.
Share Price Performance
Accor shares, which have slid since the start of the recent conflict in the Middle East, were trading down 6.5% at 1449 GMT.
(Reporting by Anusha Shah in Bengaluru, Mateusz Rabiega in Gdansk and Dominique Patton in Paris; Editing by Adam Jourdan, Catherine Evans and Alex Richardson)
