Chinese hotel group H World has revealed plans to launch three of its brands into the new market of Laos, signing agreements on four new hotels.
The move will add another country market to the fast growing group’s portfolio. Already a substantial business in China, it has a European arm that is building across the continent too.
Building a regional presence
“This signing of four hotels in Laos is an important step for H World in promoting localized management and building a deeply rooted network across the region,” said Zhu Xiaogang, president of H World Asia Pacific. The commitment to growth in the country has required H World to sign agreements with three new development partners.
Three of the hotels will be in the capital, Vientiane, while a fourth will be opening in the historic destination of Luang Prabang. All will operate under long term management agreements, which H World has signed.
First to open, in early 2026, will be the Intercity Hotel Vientiane, being developed by Lao Kunpeng Industrial Co. The hotel will be on a site close to Wattay International Airport. Around the same time, the JI Hotel Vientiane Mekong Riverside will be ready to launch, promising great river views for guests.
Later in 2026, H World will launch its Orange brand, with Orange Hotel Vientiane International Airport. This will be the first Orange brand hotel to open outside China. And in 2027, the fourth property, Intercity Hotel Luang Prabang will be completed by Lao Kunpeng Industrial Co.
Tourism is a key economic driver for Laos. In 2024, around five million tourists visited the country, delivering around USD1 billion in economic benefit. Visitors from Thailand and China dominate the inbound numbers, with Chinese visitors boosted by the China-Laos railways, which delivered 1.97 million international visitors in 2024, a figure that trebled year on year.
The arrival of the Intercity brand in Laos comes as H World develops a format it acquired through the takeover of Deutsche Hospitality. Since adding the company, which has effectively become its European arm, the brand has been launched in other markets with some success. Today, Intercity has pipeline projects in Suzhou, China and has recently opened in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. The Intercity name also continues to grow in Europe, with IntercityHotel Braunschweig in Germany, and InterCityHotel Hotel De Veste Schiedam in planning, adding another hotel in The Netherlands.
An alliance with Accor
In China, H World’s major brands are HanTing in the economy segment, JI, Orange and Starway in the midscale, and Crystal Orange in the upper midscale. Its European brands, alongside Intercity, include Zleep, Steigenberger, and Maxx. The group also works in partnership with Accor, helping to grow the Ibis, Mercure and Novotel brands in the Chinese market.
The group continues to expand at pace. Its results for the first quarter of 2025 saw hotel turnover up 14.3% year on year, at which point its portfolio had grown to 11,685 hotels.
