ShanghaiMay 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) and Accor signed a cooperation agreement at the Pullman Suzhou Zhonghui, jointly launching the “Project CLEAR Path”Project CLEAR Path, and simultaneously introducing an energy efficiency and carbon reduction automation assessment tool — “CLEAR One-Stop Assessment Tool”CLEAR (Carbon Leadership for Energy Advancement and Reduction, hereinafter referred to as “CLEAR”).
(Accor and JLL Sign Cooperation Agreement)
This tool collects key data through standardized self-assessment forms, transforming the “thousand hotels, thousand faces” energy consumption status into a customized “one hotel, one strategy” renovation list prioritized by return on investment, helping the hotel industry make scientific decisions, invest precisely, and reduce carbon efficiently.
Data-Driven, Building Certainty in Carbon Reduction Investment and Returns
Against the backdrop of China’s comprehensive push for green transformation and the deepening of the “dual carbon” goals, the hotel industry is embracing new opportunities for carbon reduction driven by refined management and large-scale application. Accor operates over 800 hotels in Greater China, encompassing a diverse brand matrix, property types, and geographic distribution, facing multi-layered and complex carbon reduction needs.
The CLEAR tool empowers hotels to autonomously conduct structured energy efficiency self-assessments and provides owners with actionable investment strategy support. Based on parameters such as hotel construction year, equipment condition, and energy consumption data, the tool automatically generates an energy efficiency score, benchmarks against internal and external peers, and then estimates renovation measure costs, energy savings, and payback periods, prioritizing actions by return on investment to provide hotels with a self-managed, immediately actionable task list.
At the group level, “Project CLEAR Path” will systematically build a knowledge system for hotel energy efficiency management. Starting with the rollout of the CLEAR tool across all brands, Accor will gradually establish a unified energy efficiency management language and decision-making framework, continuously expand the CLEAR database, generate effective insights, summarize best practices, and enhance overall decision-making efficiency. Based on phased assessment results, Accor and JLL will jointly develop the “Accor Hotel Energy Efficiency Improvement and Carbon Reduction Roadmap for Greater China,” supporting Accor Greater China in identifying key opportunities, clarifying optimization priorities, formulating medium- to long-term energy efficiency improvement strategies, and providing a reference for carbon reduction practices in China’s hotel industry. This roadmap serves not only individual assessments but also focuses on long-term value accumulation, helping Accor Greater China steadily progress toward its 2050 net-zero emissions target.
(JLL and Accor Jointly Launch ‘Project CLEAR Path’)
At the signing ceremony, Christophe Lauras, Chief Operating Officer of Accor Greater China, and Li Jing, Managing Director of Project and Development Services at JLL China, delivered speeches. Both parties emphasized that this cooperation pioneers a new path for energy efficiency management, using data as a foundation and return on investment as a decision-making benchmark, providing a new practical model for accelerating carbon reduction in the hotel industry.
During the roundtable discussion, guests engaged in an in-depth dialogue on the significance of “Project CLEAR Path” and the practical value of the CLEAR tool. Zhang Leran, Deputy Secretary-General of the China Hotel Association and Director of the National Green Hotel Work Committee Office, pointed out that the hotel industry faces two core pain points in carbon reduction: first, balancing the interests of owners, hotel groups, individual hotels, consumers, and employees; second, efficiently collecting and processing complex energy consumption data. Xiang Chengjuan, Senior Vice President of People, Culture, and Sustainability at Accor Greater China, stated that the CLEAR tool effectively addresses these challenges, combining the depth of Accor’s hotel operations with the sharpness of JLL’s asset value management. Zhang Rui, Senior Vice President of Design and Technical Services at Accor Greater China, added that the pioneering significance of the CLEAR tool lies in its high degree of localization and precision. By delving into granular underlying data such as heat and cold sources, it avoids mechanically copying international standards, achieving true “local adaptation” and thus supporting the “one hotel, one strategy” approach.
(Roundtable: How Project CLEAR Path Enables ‘One Hotel, One Strategy’ for Hotel Carbon Reduction)
At the execution level, Zhang Jie, Director of Energy and Sustainability Consulting at JLL China, analyzed that although hotels have high energy consumption density, the energy-saving potential and return on investment from systematic optimization are also clearer. Wang Chen, Project Director of Project and Development Services at JLL China, emphasized from a practical perspective that hotel energy-saving renovations must comprehensively consider operational impact, construction safety, schedule management, and cost risks to ensure the stable achievement of carbon reduction goals.
Deepening Cooperation, Continuously Exploring Hotel Industry Carbon Reduction Paths
The CLEAR tool’s ability to accurately respond to the current energy efficiency management and carbon reduction needs of China’s hotel industry stems from the long-term accumulation of Accor and JLL in their respective fields. Accor Greater China actively promotes “Green Hotel Certification” and “GSTC Certification,” with nearly half of its hotels currently holding green certifications. JLL, as the first real estate services company globally to set a science-based net-zero target, has over 20 years of experience in sustainability consulting services, establishing systematic assessment models for building energy efficiency and asset value.
For a long time, the cooperation between the two parties has been conducted from the perspective of “owner-operator alignment,” dedicated to reducing energy consumption and enhancing asset value. From global cooperation projects such as applying ESG scorecards to pre-signing assessments of new projects and existing renovations, to energy efficiency diagnostics and operational optimization recommendations for operating hotels, the cooperation has continuously evolved towards greater precision and practicality. The implementation of “Project CLEAR Path” in Greater China marks a new phase in their cooperation, driven by digital tools to achieve carbon reduction at scale.
Kent Zhu, CEO of Accor Greater China, stated: “Sustainable operations are a core strategy for Accor’s development in China. After years of deep engagement in the Chinese market, we are well aware that our responsibility is not only to achieve carbon reduction targets but also to contribute reusable value to the sustainable transformation of China’s hotel industry. ‘Project CLEAR Path’ integrates Accor’s operational practices with JLL’s professional capabilities. It is an owner-friendly, customizable, and scalable carbon reduction tool, empowering owners’ investment decisions with energy efficiency and carbon management checklists. We look forward to partnering with more stakeholders to make carbon reduction practices more executable, measurable, and sustainable.”
Li Jing, Managing Director of Project and Development Services at JLL China, stated: “In this critical decade for the global building sector to move towards net zero, the sustainable performance of hotel assets has shifted from a ‘plus factor’ to a ‘must-have.’ As the first real estate services company globally to set a science-based net-zero target, JLL is always committed to deeply integrating sustainability into the full lifecycle management of assets. ‘Project CLEAR Path’ is an innovative achievement we have created with Accor based on this consensus. It is not just a tool but a decision-making mechanism that starts from the owner’s investment perspective, integrating energy efficiency improvement and asset value enhancement. Through the CLEAR tool, we hope to help hotel owners clearly see how every investment on the carbon reduction path translates into energy savings, operational optimization, and even asset value appreciation.”
Currently, the CLEAR tool has completed preliminary validation at five Accor hotels of different brand types. In the future, “Project CLEAR Path” will leverage Accor’s 800 hotels in China as a practical foundation to explore broader industry applicability and replicable experiences, supporting the realization of China’s “dual carbon” goals in the hotel industry.
About Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL)
JLL (NYSE: JLL) is a leading global commercial real estate and investment management company. The company reported revenue of $26.1 billion in fiscal year 2025, operates in over 80 countries worldwide, and employs more than 113,000 people. As a Fortune 500 company with over 200 years of professional expertise, we continue to earn the trust of global clients, helping them efficiently acquire, develop, occupy, operate, and invest in diverse asset types including office buildings, industrial logistics, hotels, multifamily residential, retail properties, and data centers. Guided by our purpose, “Shape the future of real estate for a better world,” we work with clients, employees, and communities to “do the right thing.” Leveraging leading global data insights and technological innovation, we provide clients across various industries with comprehensive, full-cycle real estate services. Through our investment management arm, LaSalle Investment Management, we invest in private equity assets and publicly traded real estate securities globally, helping clients achieve long-term value growth. For more information, please visit joneslanglasalle.com.cn
About Accor
Accor is a world-leading hotel group, with over 5,800 hotels and 10,000 food and beverage venues in 110 countries. Accor has one of the most diverse and complete hotel ecosystems in the industry, encompassing more than 45 luxury, premium, midscale, and economy brands, and operates 17 lifestyle hotel brands in partnership with Ennismore. Accor is committed to driving positive action through business ethics, responsible tourism, environmental sustainability, community engagement, diversity, and inclusion. Accor SA, founded in 1967, is headquartered in France. The company is listed on Euronext Paris (ISIN code: FR0000120404) and trades on the OTC Market in the United States (Ticker: ACRFY). For more information, please visit group.accor.com or follow us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and TikTok.