FRENCH hotel giant Accor is making further moves into the Chinese market with plans to open five more properties next year and a new agreement to manage a hotel in Beijing.
It also wants to expand its travel agency and tour operating services with the help of the Beijing Tourism Group, whose remit is to run state-owned hotels.
Accor has just signed a letter of intent to take over the Peace Hotel in Beijing at the beginning of next year and says it wants to add to its five existing hotels in the country with five more – inBeijing, Jinan, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Shanghai.
An Accor spokeswoman said the Peace Hotel move was the first concrete step taken following the strategic partnership set up in early August by chairman of the Accor management board and chief executive officer Jean-Marc Espalioux with the Beijing Tourism Group.
She said:”China is an up-and-coming destination and we believe it will feature prominently in the next millennium.”
n The Accor subsidiary Europcar also recently signed a co-operation agreement with Chinese car rental group Shi Ji Tong Car Rental.