Hilton Hotels Corp said on Tuesday that it planned to double its China portfolio over the coming months and tap into the country's mid-market sector by introducing the new Hilton Garden Inn brand.
The United States hotel group, which operates five Hiltons on the Chinese mainland and one Conrad Hotel in Hong Kong, will expand its China presence to 12 by the end of this year, company officials said.
The six new hotels will be in Beijing, Kunshan, Shanghai and Chongqing under the brand names of Hilton, Doubletree and Conrad.
"We are gearing up to expand our China presence significantly amid growing demand from both intra-Asia leisure flows and business travel within the country," said Timothy Soper, vice president for operations, China and Mongolia. "By 2011, we will be operating 26 luxury and upscale hotels and will have a strong footprint in the mid-market sector."
The World Travel & Tourism Council recently forecast that personal travel and tourism in China would grow at 11 percent a year between 2008 and 2017. Future global events such as the Beijing Olympics in August and the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 would lead to a booming demand in the hospitality sector.
Hilton Hotels plans to have a portfolio of more than 25 franchised properties in the country within the next five to seven years under the Hilton Garden Inn brand, as part of its strategy to develop a nationwide presence across market segments and price points.
Company officials said they expect the first Hilton Garden Inn to be launched as early as next year.
Hilton Hotels has said it aims to open 300 new properties in the Asia Pacific region within the next 10 years.