INTERCONTINENTAL Hotels Group launched the Hotel Indigo name in Shanghai yesterday, marking the upscale boutique brand's entry into the Asia Pacific market.

The first Hotel Indigo is expected to open by the end of 2010 on the Bund. Another four will open in Xiamen, Taipei, Hong Kong and Bangkok in the next three years. IHG, the world's largest hotel group by rooms and also the biggest hotelier in China, has 149 hotels in the pipeline in China on top of about 140 now. Hotel Indigo is IHG's fifth brand in Asia Pacific.