Accor expands China portfolio as travel demand evolves
French hospitality group Accor is deepening its Chinese presence by adding more brands to its local partnership portfolio as it continues to tap the country’s expanding travel market.
The company recently announced that it would work with Chinese hotel operator Sunmei Hotels Group to develop JO&JOE and greet by Accor for the Chinese mainland market, catering to the lifestyle and leisure segmentation, with Sunmei responsible for their development, construction and operations.
The deal expands a partnership that began in 2022 and already covers Mövenpick by Accor and The Sebel. The four brands are expected to have more than 70 hotels operating on the Chinese mainland by the end of this year, according to Sunmei.
The expansion comes as China’s travel market continues to recover and evolve, creating new opportunities for global hospitality groups. Accor said inbound tourism activity at its hotels in the Chinese mainland has grown 46 percent year-on-year since the beginning of this year as of July, mainly driven by visitors from the Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Europe.
In this regard, the French group has identified China as a key growth market, where it currently operates more than 850 hotels across 17 brands and plans to expand its network to 1,600 hotels over the next five to six years.
Kent Zhu, CEO of Accor Greater China, said the group has continued to adapt to changes in Chinese market demand and explore innovative approaches to localizing international brands and digital operations. Accor will continue leveraging its global brand resources to support higher-quality and more sustainable growth of its brands in China, Zhu added.
The expansion is underpinned by continued growth in travel and services consumption. Chinese residents made 3.46 billion domestic trips in the first half of 2026, up 5.4 percent year-on-year, while their spending on those trips rose 2 percent to 3.21 trillion yuan ($479 billion), according to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
