(Yicai) July 16 -- Multiple international hotel giants have accelerated their expansion in China through partnering with domestic companies as well as introducing new brands or scaling up existing ones amid a recovery in the country's cultural and tourism market.

InterContinental Hotels Group has allied with China's New Hope Real Estate to bring its Regent Hotels & Resorts to the southwestern Chengdu, the UK hospitality firm announced yesterday. On the same day, Hilton Worldwide Holdings said it has signed projects for its Tempo by Hilton brand to enter the Asia-Pacific market through multiple Chinese cities.

On July 7, Zhu Fuming, chief executive of Accor's China arm, told Yicai the French company plans to double the number of its hotels in the country to 1,600 by 2031, while also upgrading and renovating some existing projects, such as the Peace Hotel.

The number of hotels in China increased by more than 3,500 and that of rooms by over 316,000 in the first half of this year, with international brands operating 9.6 percent of the total. There was a clear trend toward mid-range branding and expansion into lower-tier cities, with nearly 80 percent of new hotels falling into the mid-to-high-end category or below, while more than 70 percent had 150 or fewer rooms.

Chinese consumers are placing high emphasis on value for money, with mid-to-high-end hotels priced between CNY500 and CNY800 (USD74 to USD118) per night becoming the top choice for business and family travel. In this segment, Huazhu Group, BTG Homeinns, Jin Jiang International, and other domestic brands hold a distinct advantage, while foreign chains have a relatively lower share due to historically putting more focus on the high-end market.

Based on the recent development plans of global hotel giants such as Hilton, Marriott International, Accor, and IHG, they have also started to step up their expansion into lower-tier cities and broadly lay out mid-to-high-end hotels rather than just focus on luxury properties, with the Hilton Garden Inn and Tempo by Hilton brands as examples.

In addition, leading international chains are increasingly turning to franchising, joining, or directly partnering with local firms instead of relying primarily on commissioned management models. For example, Hyatt Hotels has allied with BTG Homeinns to develop mid-range hotels, while Marriott has joined hands with CG Hospitality Global and BTG Wanxin to invest in and develop 100 Fairfield by Marriott hotels in China over the next 10 years.

New projects developed by international hotel chains in China are beginning to transform in response to new consumer demands, shifting from simply offering hotel rooms to selling a lifestyle. Transforming hotels into comprehensive entertainment, popularity, and emotional value destinations has become a key factor for many foreign companies when building new brands and projects in the country.

Editor: Martin Kadiev