Groundbreaking alliance between Accor and Huazhu create a hotel giant in China (CN)

Accor and Huazhu Hotels Group (also known as China Lodging Group) today sealed an extensive and long-term alliance to create the most prominent and diversified hotel company in China, with more than 2,000 hotels and the strongest pipeline in the country.
“This ground-breaking collaboration will leverage the strengths of Accor’s global brands with a leading player in Chinese hospitality,” said Sebastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor. “Joining Huazhu’s unparalleled local expertise with our brands will create a hospitality powerhouse which will deliver unprecedented value to both groups and to our customers.”
Huazhu founder, Chairman and CEO, Ji Qi, said the collaboration was an inequivalent alliance in the global hospitality industry. “With an extensive brand portfolio, and strong distribution and loyalty platforms, Accor and Huazhu share a lot of common values. By combining forces we can facilitate growth and attract more customers to the expanded network,” said Ji Qi.
This major alliance will rapidly accelerate both groups’ expansion in what is today one of the largest and fastest-growing domestic travel markets and the world’s largest outbound travel market. The objective of the alliance is to bring together the better of the two respective groups, combining Accor’s internationally recognized brands and powerful global distribution network with the extensive coverage, local reputation and strong development capability of Huazhu Hotels Group in China.
Together the groups have more than 500 hotels in the pipeline in the region and the alliance is expected to further accelerate development to new levels and see faster expansion of Accor’s brands in China.
Source: Accor