Accor to Double China Hotels, Targets India
The hotel group aims to double its China footprint to 1,600 properties while seeking new partners in India and seeing a surge in Vietnam.
Accor's Tailored Asia Growth
Accor is pursuing significant expansion across Asia, employing varied strategies tailored to specific national markets. Duncan O’Rourke, Accor's CEO for Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, emphasised that China, India, and Vietnam are crucial markets for the group, each necessitating distinct development models to capture growth opportunities.
This approach moves away from a singular pan-Asian strategy, acknowledging the diverse market dynamics within the region.
Market-Specific Development Models
In China, Accor is deepening its partnership with H World, aiming to double its current footprint to 1,600 hotels. This collaboration underscores a reliance on established local partners for scale in the vast Chinese market. For India, Accor is actively seeking new partners to facilitate its growth.
Meanwhile, Vietnam has shown an unexpected surge in new hotel signings, primarily driven by major local developers. Across the broader Asian region, Accor is increasingly utilising hotel conversions and franchising to integrate existing hotel supply into its portfolio, demonstrating a flexible approach to asset acquisition.
Midscale and Economy Drive Recent Signings
Accor signed nearly 11,000 rooms in Asia during 2025. A significant portion of this growth, approximately 70%, was concentrated in the midscale and economy segments, reflecting a strategic focus on these accessible categories.
The Asia Pacific region played a substantial role in the company's overall development, representing 49% of Accor's total signings globally in the same period. This highlights the region's importance as a primary engine for the hotel group's expansion.
Implications for Asia's Hospitality Sector
Accor's differentiated growth strategy in Asia shows a clear adaptation to the region's complex and diverse hospitality landscape. This could intensify competition within the midscale and economy hotel segments, particularly in rapidly developing markets like Vietnam and India.
Local and regional operators may need to refine their own partnership and development models to compete effectively. For travellers, this approach suggests an increasing availability of diverse lodging options across various price points in key Asian destinations, with a particular expansion in value-oriented accommodations.
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