Accor to open 5 Pullman in China by 2010

Paris-based Accor, Europe's largest hotelier, will open five Pullman hotels in China by the end of 2010, sources reported.

The plan is part of the company's strategy to grow its three-month-old Pullman brand worldwide, said the company in a statement. It aims to open 59 Pullman hotels globally at the end of 2009, and expand the number fivefold to 300 by 2015, with one-third in the Asia-Pacific region.

The French company first set up its Pullman hotel in China in Dongguan, Guangdong province and Sanya, Hainan province, which are scheduled to start operation in the first quarter of this year. And another four are expected to open in cities including Beijing and Tianjin.

"Pullman brand hotels will expand rapidly in Asia-Pacific region, especially in China in the next year," said MichaelIssenberg, executing director of Accor's Asia-Pacific region.

Currently, Accor operates its rebranded luxury Sofitel chain as well as budget Ibis chains in China. It plans to double the hotels in China by 2010 to as many as 160 in a bid to boost earnings from the booming domestic tourism sector in the country.