Travel Daily News International:
ibis, the international economy hotel brand of the Accor group, announced its plan to deploy a franchise development model to support the growth of the ibis brand in China. This new franchising model together with the existing ownership and leased model will grow the ibis network into new locations throughout China.
This plan marks the start of an unprecedented expansion rate for the brand in the Chinese market. 4 initial franchise agreements have been signed, with up to 15 agreements anticipated to be closed during 2010. The first two of these franchise hotels will open in May 2010, both in city centre locations of Shanghai.
“China is one of the major growth markets internationally for the ibis brand,†said Gilles Larrive, Senior Vice President of ibis Asia. “The launch of this franchise operating model is an important step in the brands growth strategy. It will allow hotel owners seeking a quality three star international hotel brand to benefit from a strong distribution platform, in market infrastructure and a recognized loyalty program through franchising with the ibis hotel brand. With this operating model, 4 franchise ibis hotels will open by the end of this year, with further plans to accelerate the development significantly thereafter.â€
