Accor opens Hotel Ibis Tianjin

Accor is aiming to revolutionise China’s economy hotel sector with the opening of Hotel Ibis Tianjin in the Chinese industrial heartland outside Beijing.

Hotel Ibis Tianjin is offering an opening rate of 148RMB (US$18) on weekdays and 128RMB on weekends until 30 April, making it one of, if not, the lowest rate for an internationally branded hotel in China.

The Ibis is situated in the Technology and Development Industrial Area (TEDA) Tianjin, just 11/2 hours drive from Beijing, which is home to many of the Fortune 500 companies doing business in China. Facilities include 154 rooms, meeting room, bar, restaurant (Kafe Noodles), coin laundry and business centre.

Accor’s launch of its economy hotel division in China recognises the changing travel patterns in the country. These include the strength of a rapidly growing domestic economy and a move by Chinese corporations away from top-end accommodation in preference for mid-market and economy hotels.

Accor Asia Pacific Managing Director, Mr Michael Issenberg, said: “The hotel’s rate and location will attract Chinese and international business travellers with factories and offices in TEDA Tianjin, and domestic holiday leisure visitors from provincial cities in China.

“At present there are no other international brands operating in China that satisfy this market need, despite demand growing rapidly. Even those companies that have announced plans to follow Accor’s lead into China’s economy sector will take a number of years before they can unveil product of the quality of Ibis.”

Two more Ibis hotels in China have been announced – Hotel Ibis Chengdu (opening early 2005) in Sichuan Province and Hotel Ibis Qingdao (opening end 2005). 

The opening of Hotel Ibis Tianjin follows the huge success of the Ibis brand in Korea. The 317-room Hotel Ibis Seoul opened October 2003 and has exceeded all market expectations, benefiting from its premier location in the heart of Seoul’s Daechi-dong business district.

Occupancy during November and December 2003, Hotel Ibis Seoul’s first two full months of operation, averaged 75 per cent, with 69 percent of that coming from corporate FIT. The largest single nationality was Korean (35 per cent), showing a high level of acceptance among the domestic business community. Over 88 per cent of guests returning comment cards said they were either satisfied or very satisfied with the hotel’s product and service.

The expansion of the economy hotel sector in Asia follows Accor’s pioneering development of the sector in Europe, the UK, North America and Australia. More recently, Accor has successfully introduced its three-star Ibis brand in Indonesia, Hong Kong and New Zealand, and the two-star Formule 1 brand in Australia and Japan.

Over 2,500 of Accor’s total of 4,000 hotels are in the economy hotel sector.