Accor Doubles Down on China’s Luxury Hotel Market With Major Expansion

Accor is speeding up its expansion in China.

The hospitality group has signed a Framework Cooperation Agreement with Jin Jiang International Group for a luxury hotel project in Shanghai, strengthening collaborations with the Chinese travel giant.

At the same time, Accor signed multiple luxury and premium hotel projects, including Fairmont Hangzhou Huagang, Sofitel Xi'an Chanba, Swissôtel Hangzhou Westlake, MGallery Collection Pujiang, MGallery Collection Hangzhou Jianghehui, and Pullman Shanghai Qilu, alongside an additional intention to collaborate on a new project in Sichuan Wolong. These projects target key markets across North China, the Yangtze River Delta, and Western China.

The group stated that China is pivotal to its global growth and innovation roadmap.

Currently, Accor runs over 830 hotels in Greater China, covering more than 50 cities, 17 brands, and over 140,000 rooms. Over the next five to six years, Accor aims to reach a development target of 1,600 hotels.

These strategies align with a boom in inbound tourism in China. Data shows that in 2025, inbound tourist arrivals exceeded 150 million, up more than 17% year-on-year, generating over $130 billion in spending.

Relaxed visa policies and the online trend of "Chinamaxxing" (or "Becoming Chinese") are driving this growth. Younger overseas travelers are showing a rising interest in Chinese culture and lifestyles.

“We will promote China to the world,” said Sébastien Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Accor, expressing strong confidence in China's tourism industry, backed by promising results.

"Since the beginning of this year, Accor's inbound tourism activity in mainland China has achieved 46% year-on-year growth, with outstanding performance particularly from three major source markets: Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Europe,” he added.