NEWS
Accor accelerates China growth strategy
Accor has reaffirmed its strategic commitment to China, positioning the market as a key engine for growth and travel innovation. During a press conference in Shanghai, the group outlined its development strategy, new luxury hotel projects and strengthened partnerships with leading Chinese hospitality players. Since the beginning of the year, Accor’s inbound tourism activity in mainland China has achieved 46% year-on-year growth. The company now operates more than 830 hotels across Greater China, with ambitions to reach 1,600 hotels within the next five to six years.
Accor’s current presence in Greater China spans more than 50 cities, 17 brands and over 140,000 rooms. This scale gives the group a strong platform in one of the world’s most dynamic travel markets. The company’s strategy is built around expanding its hotel network, deepening local partnerships and strengthening its luxury, premium, midscale and lifestyle brand presence across the country.
The group’s latest development roadmap reflects a clear focus on both volume and brand positioning. Accor is pursuing a strategy described around refining the high-end segment, deepening midscale growth, solidifying partnerships and energising brands. This approach aligns with China’s wider ambition to develop as a leading tourism nation while upgrading cultural and tourism consumption.
Partnerships remain central to Accor’s China strategy. The group has reinforced long-term relationships with Jin Jiang International Group, H World Group and Sunmei Digital Intelligence. Accor and Jin Jiang International Group have built a ten-year partnership anchored by the iconic Peace Hotel, while also cooperating around ESG initiatives and community development in Shanghai. The relationship with H World Group began more than a decade ago to support international brand development in China and has recently expanded across direct booking and loyalty platforms. Accor has also collaborated twice within three years with Sunmei Hotels Group, extending cooperation from Mövenpick by Accor to The Sebel.
Luxury development is one of the most visible parts of the group’s latest China push. During the Shanghai press conference, Accor and Jin Jiang International signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement for a luxury hotel project in Shanghai. Multiple additional luxury projects were also signed across Northern China, the Yangtze River Delta and key western markets. These include Fairmont Hangzhou Huagang, Sofitel Xi’an Chanba, MGallery Collection Hangzhou Jianghehui, MGallery Collection Pujiang, Swissôtel Hangzhou Westlake and Pullman Shanghai Qilu, alongside an intention to collaborate on a new project in Sichuan Wolong.
The group’s luxury position in China is already supported by a broad brand matrix. Accor currently operates more than 50 luxury hotels across Greater China, with more than 40 luxury projects under active development. Its luxury portfolio includes names such as Raffles, Fairmont, Sofitel Legend, Sofitel, MGallery and Swissôtel. Raffles has established a presence in destinations including Hainan, Shenzhen and Macau, while Sofitel Legend People’s Grand Hotel Xian remains one of only six Sofitel Legend properties worldwide.
The pipeline also highlights continued momentum for the Sofitel brand in China. Sofitel Legend Wuxi, signed in 2025, is expected to become the second Sofitel Legend in the country. Sofitel continues to expand with recent openings in Changzhou and Anji, while additional landmark projects are scheduled to arrive in 2026. These include Fairmont Dalian and MGallery Chengdu Financial City, which are expected to open sequentially.
The announcement underlines China’s role in Accor’s wider global growth and innovation roadmap. The company sees the market not only as one of the world’s largest outbound travel sources, but also as a destination with strong appeal for global travellers. Inbound tourism performance has been especially strong from Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Europe, according to the group’s latest update.
With more than 40 years of operating experience in the Chinese market, Accor is using its scale, brand diversity and local partnerships to build long-term value. The company’s plan to grow from more than 830 hotels to a target of 1,600 hotels over the next five to six years shows the scale of its ambition. By combining luxury expansion, strategic alliances, direct booking development and a broad multi-brand platform, Accor is reinforcing Greater China as one of the most important growth markets in global hospitality.
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