French hotel group Accor has opened its 700th hotel in Greater China, the Sofitel Shanghai North Bund. The launch comes as the group continues to push ahead with strong growth in the country, expecting to open 103 hotels in China during 2024.
All through 2024, Accor will be celebrating the sixtieth anniversary of its Sofitel brand, and also a key connection with China. It is 60 years since France and China initiated diplomatic relations, and so the year has been designated the China-France Year of Culture and Tourism. The Sofitel brand itself has further growth in the pipeline in China, with upcoming properties opening in Shanghai, Shenyang, Wuhan and Zhangjiajie.
Signing three hotels a week
Signing pace is continuing, with the group adding 150 hotels to its China pipeline during 2024. Recent additions to that pipeline include a dual branded hotel project in Jinghe New City in Xi’an. There, a Sofitel and Novotel will both be located in the Qin Zhihui Complex within the exciting Jinghe Bay Academician Science & Technology Innovation district. Together, the pair will have more than 420 rooms.
Also signed in May 2024 was a new MGallery Collection hotel in central Sanya. The 187 room hotel, in a 25 storey tower, will open in late 2025 and joins another recent signing under the same brand in Chengdu Financial City. Five MGallery hotels will open in Greater China during 2024, doubling its presence in the country. These include Chengdu Expo, Dangkou Ancient Town, Nanjing and Shenzhen.
Local partnerships
Accor works with a number of local partners in China, facilitating easier growth in its hotel brands. Its Ibis, Mercure and Novotel brands are expanding via a collaboration with Chinese hotel group H World, which is finding sites for the French brands at the same time as growing its own economy and midscale brand portfolio. Novotel opened its 50th hotel in China in 2023, and is expected to grow to more than 100 operational by 2030. And a partnership with Sunmei Hotels is delivering new openings for the Movenpick brand, including upcoming launches in Nanjing and Chengdu.
From its Ennismore lifestyle group, Accor is also hoping for great things for its Jo&Joe brand. Again a partnership has been signed, this time with Funyard Hotels, aiming to deliver Jo&Joe hotels across the country. A strategic agreement signed between the two in 2022 envisages taking the brand to more than 1,000 hotels across China. More broadly, the Accor brand portfolio continues to expand in China, with 2025 expected to see the debut of the Adagio brand in Chengdu and Tribe in Guiyang.
