Accor Opens 300th Hotel In Asia Pacific and passes milestone with launch of Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing

Accor Opens 300th Hotel In Asia Pacific and passes milestone with launch of Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing

March 20, 2007

    SHANGHAI, China, March 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Accor
announced yesterday its 300th hotel in the Asia Pacific
region with the launch of the Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing
in China. 

    The re-branding of Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing follows
a record 2006, during which the group's Asia Pacific hotel
network grew by an impressive 21%, adding 53 hotels in 12
countries. Main countries for growth were China, Thailand,
Indonesia and Australia. 

    The expansion included significant new hotel openings
covering all seven hotel brands that Accor operates in the
region: Sofitel, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, All
Seasons, Ibis and Formule 1.

    In addition, Accor currently has a further 95 hotels
committed to open over the next two years, with China and
India being two of the principal growth markets.

    The Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing extends Accor's China
network to 44 hotels, with at least a further 61 hotels to
open before 2010. Other Accor hotel projects in Beijing
include the interconnected 312-room Novotel Phoenix Beijing
and 405-room Ibis Phoenix Beijing opening early 2008,
Novotel Beijing West in the hi-tech Zhongguancun district
and Sofitel Wanda Beijing later this year. 

    Accor Asia Pacific Chairman, David Baffsky, said that
Asia Pacific was one of Accor's global priorities for
future development.

    "There is vast potential in the Asia Pacific
region - particularly China and India - and we have a full
range of brands to service all sectors of the market,"
he said.

    "It is fitting that the 300th hotel is located in
China as China has been Accor's fastest growing country
over the past three years. 

    Accor Asia Pacific Managing Director, Michael
Issenberg, said that "In the past two years Accor has
entered into a number of major joint-venture arrangements
for development of hotels across the region, with a major
emphasis on our economy brands.  We are also expanding
strongly in the mid-market and upper upscale sectors to
give Accor a uniquely balanced portfolio.

    "In China we will see major hotels opened in other
key cities including Shanghai, Macau, Guangzhou, and Nanjing
and in inner Mongolia. This country-wide growth reflects
China's position as one of the world's most dynamic
inbound, outbound and domestic travel markets." 

    The 296-room Grand Mercure (formerly the Marco Polo) is
a well-established hotel in a prime location in the Xidan
commercial and shopping area of Beijing, conveniently close
to the capital's landmarks such as the new National Theatre,
as well as the Financial Street commercial district. All
rooms and suites offer attractive garden or city views,
with many facing the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. 
It is also a short walk to the city's underground train
system.

    Accor currently manages 17 Grand Mercure hotels and
resorts around Asia Pacific, with another six to open
before the end of 2007.

    (The 296-room Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing (formerly the
Marco Polo) is a well-established hotel in a prime location
in the Xidan commercial and shopping area of Beijing,
conveniently close to the capital's landmarks such as the
new National Theatre, as well as the Financial Street
commercial district. All rooms and suites offer attractive
garden or city views, with many facing the Forbidden City
and Tiananmen Square.  It is also a short walk to the
city's underground train system.)

    Accor, the European leader in hotels and tourism, and a
global leader in corporate services, operates in nearly 100
countries with 160,000 employees. It offers to its
individual and corporate clients nearly 40 years of
expertise in its two core businesses:
 
    -- Hotels, with the Sofitel, Novotel, Mercure,
Suitehotel, 
       Ibis, Red Roof Inn, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel
6 
       brands: over 4,000 hotels and 475,000 rooms in 90 
       countries, as well as strategically related
activities, 
       such as Lenotre;

    -- Services to corporate clients and public
institutions: 
       21 million people in 35 countries benefit from Accor

       Services products - meal and food vouchers, people
care
       , incentive and loyalty programs.


    For more information, please contact:

     Helen Leu
     Public Relations Manager
     Grand Mercure Xidan Beijing
     Tel:   [phone] 
     Email: [e-mail]

     Angel Liu
     Marketing & Communications Officer 
     China
     Tel:   [phone] x838
     Fax:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]