Accor SA, Europe's biggest hotel owner, opened its 800th Ibis hotel in Shanghai yesterday as it continued to expand its chain of economical hotels.

The Shanghai hotel is the 16th the French group has opened since it entered China in 2004. It now operates in 14 cities and aims to run about 50 hotels spread more than 37 cities in the country by 2010.

"It is the 16th hotel we opened in China, which will help enhance our attraction," said Gilles Larrive, senior vice president of Ibis Asia. The Shanghai hotel, located at Lianyang area in Pudong New Area, has 298 rooms which are priced at 348 yuan per night each.

The group also plans to run a total of 1,100 Ibis hotels in more than 70 countries by 2010.

It also said the Asia-Pacific region will be a key market where 40 percent of new Ibis hotels will be located.

"With booming business events in Asia Pacific, business clients' demand for economic hotels is also rising, so we placed the 800th Ibis hotel in China to mark the importance of the region," said Michael Issenberg, CEO of Accor Asia.

Globally, Accor operates hotels under seven brands.

(Shanghai Daily November 27, 2008)