Hotel Ibis Shanghai Lianyang, Accor's 800th Ibis Hotel, Opens In Shanghai, China

Ibis Hotels, Accor's worldwide economy brand, confirms objective of 1100 hotels by 2010.

Sydney, NSW (PRWEB) November 25, 2008 -- Ibis, Accor's worldwide economy hotel brand, has opened its 800th hotel, the Hotel Ibis Shanghai Lianyang in the People's Republic of China.

"This 800th hotel is a double milestone for Ibis," said Helen Lalitte, Senior Vice President Ibis Global Marketing. "It demonstrates our capacity to meet the ambitious objectives of our global development program and the hotel is located in China, a key market for our brand's expansion in Asia."

The launch of Hotel Ibis Shanghai Lianyang represents an important step in the Ibis network's ongoing worldwide expansion. Since its creation in 1974, the Ibis brand has grown consistently. In 2007, Ibis dramatically accelerated its global development, with an objective of a network of 1100 hotels and 150,000 rooms in more than 70 countries by 2010. Between 2008 and 2010, one to two new Ibis hotels will open globally each week.

Hotel Ibis Shanghai Lianyang (http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/lien_externe.svlt?goto=fiche_hotel&code_hotel=6474&code_langue=gb&sourceid=xxx&merchantid=yyy) offers rooms from 280 RMB and represents exceptional value in one of China's most vibrant and rapidly developing cities. Bookings can be made online at the Accor website (www.accorhotels-asia.com).

Following expansion in 2007, when 40 new Ibis hotels opened, the Ibis brand accelerated its expansion program again this year (2008), with an additional 58 new hotels representing 11,000 new rooms in more than 20 countries.

Other Asia Pacific openings in 2008 have included Ibis hotels in Suwon in South Korea; Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok and Koh Samui in Thailand; Solo and Semarang in Indonesia; and Beijing and Tianjin in China. Eight more Ibis hotels will open in the Asia Pacific region before the end of 2008, including Ibis Sydney King Street Wharf, Ibis Harbin Shangzhi (http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/lien_externe.svlt?goto=fiche_hotel&code_hotel=6578&code_langue=gb&sourceid=xxx&merchantid=yyy) and Ibis Qingxi Dongguan (http://www.ibishotel.com/ibis/lien_externe.svlt?goto=fiche_hotel&code_hotel=7031&code_langue=gb&sourceid=xxx&merchantid=yyy).

In the next two years, the Ibis hotels network will continue to expand rapidly in emerging regions, with a particular focus on the Asia Pacific region.

"We see a strong growth in the demand for value-driven accommodation, by local, regional and multinational business travellers," said Michael Issenberg, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Accor Asia Pacific. "The opening of the Ibis Shanghai Lianyang symbolises the importance of the Asian region in our global expansion strategy."

In the next two years, Asia Pacific will become the leading growth market for Ibis Hotels. Forty percent of the 310 new hotels planned between 2008 and 2010 will be located in key Asia Pacific cities, nearly doubling the Ibis brand's presence in the region.

"2008 will remain a memorable year for China, in particular for the Beijing Olympics," said Gilles Larriv Senior Vice-President, ibis China. "It was also a very dynamic and successful year for ibis in this key market. Following the opening of the Ibis Beijing Sanyuan last month, the Ibis Shanghai Lianyang is our 16th hotel in China. This accelerated expansion demonstrates the local relevance and appeal of the ibis offer."

Additional information can be found at ibishotel.com (www.ibishotel.com).

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