SHANGHAI – ibis, the international economy hotel brand of the Accor group, has 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. Four 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 this month, both in city centre locations of Shanghai. "China is one of the major growth markets internationally for the ibis brand. 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, four franchise ibis hotels will open by the end of this year, with further plans to accelerate the development significantly thereafter,” said Gilles Larrivé, SVP, ibis Asia. “The ibis franchise model is an innovative hybrid product developed specifically for expansion in China, providing flexibility for network expansion and a platform to maintain the international quality standards that the ibis brand worldwide stands for,” Larrivé added. Within the scope of franchise agreement, the hotel owner holds the property while ibis provides through a 10-year agreement, a broad array of hotel management skills and services. These include assistance during the conception and construction stages, sharp quality control through the ISO 9001 Certification, effective cost management, people development, and its marketing, sales and distribution expertise. Since entering China in 2004, ibis has opened 38 hotels comprising of 7,224 rooms across 27 cities. This year will see ibis add hotels in cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Suzhou, and Qingdao. “The ibis hotel brand continues to form a significant part of Accor’s’ expansion in Asia Pacific and around the world,” said Michael Issenberg, chairman and COO, Accor Asia Pacific. “The launch of the franchise model will take the expansion of the network throughout the region to a new and accelerated pace. We are very excited for the prospects for this ibis franchise model in China and it is a notable milestone in our continued expansion in this strategically important market.”