I have asked myself the same question very often. (I travel a lot in / to France.) And I think it really has to do with Accor. (Starwood is in the same situation in France as Hilton: very few properties...)

But, I could also think *** politically incorrect *** that it has something to do with the French mentality (but I’m not sure which part or how). France is the only country in Europe that has so many low budget hotels all over the country. (Formule 1, Etap, Premiere Class, B&B (or something like that), ...) Maybe they just don’t care about Hilton level hotels!