(The 9th China International Import Expo) International hotel giants showed off their “new coordinates” in China on the same stage at the China International Import Expo

China News Service, Shanghai, November 10 (Reporter Li Jiajia) The continued vitality of China’s tourism market has provided long-term space for international hotel groups to develop in China.

At the China International Import Expo held in Shanghai, Marriott International, which has made its appearance for the ninth consecutive year, announced that it will soon surpass the 800 hotels in Greater China and add over 100 hotels within the year.

InterContinental Hotels Group also kicked off the milestone of opening 1,000 hotels in Greater China with the theme of "Mountains Beyond the Mountains and Upstairs" at this CIIE.

Two international hotel giants shared the same stage to reveal the "new coordinates" of their development in China, sending a positive signal for the development of the industry.

From nearly 400 hotels opening at the first CIIE in 2018 to the important moment of reaching a thousand hotels now, the nine-year CIIE has witnessed the vigorous development momentum of InterContinental Hotels Group in China, and also reflected the continuous release of vitality and opportunities in the Chinese tourism hotel market.

Daniel Aylmer, CEO of InterContinental Hotels Group Greater China, said: "Thousands of hotels are a leap in scale and a new sail in the pursuit of high-quality development. In the future, we not only hope to open more hotels, but also run each hotel better."

Data shows that since entering Greater China in 1975, InterContinental Hotels Group has 14 brands covering more than 200 cities; the number of opened rooms in Greater China accounts for about 20% of the group's global total, and the number of rooms under construction accounts for more than one-third. The cycle for every 100 new hotels opened has been shortened to less than one year.

Talking about future development plans, Emer said that InterContinental Hotels Group will continue to seize development opportunities such as new hotels, renovation of existing properties and emerging tourist destinations to allow suitable brands to enter the right markets; at the same time, it will pay more attention to the product quality, service experience and operating performance of existing hotels, so that growth will not only be reflected in the number of hotels, but also reflected in guest satisfaction and the long-term value of owners.

Marriott International also uses the CIIE as its home venue for launches. Since its first participation in the exhibition in 2018, the group's number of hotels in China has tripled, with 27 brands covering more than 150 cities. The annual new opening record has been broken for three consecutive years from 2023 to the end of 2025. As of the end of September this year, there have been more than 100 newly opened hotels, a year-on-year increase of over 30%, with an average of 2.6 openings per week. Mao Yibing, a member of the Global Executive Committee of Marriott International and president of Greater China, said: "As a 'Quality Student' who has participated in the CIIE for the ninth time, we have always been confident in the long-term development of the Chinese market and will have our 800th hotel opened by the end of the month."

In addition to scale, localization has become the confidence for international hotels to delve into China. Marriott has more than 90,000 employees in Greater China, 97% of whom are local talents, and local general managers account for 83%. Marriott will continue to leverage the synergistic advantages of its diverse brand matrix and the 309 million Marriott Bonvoy member ecosystem to move towards the 100th anniversary milestone in 2027.

Behind the intensive investment by international hotel giants is the huge potential of the Chinese tourism market. According to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), China's tourism economy will grow by 9.9% in 2025, more than twice the global average. 2026 is the first year of the "15th Five-Year Plan". From 1,000 hotels to 800 hotels, international hotel groups are using the CIIE as a bridge to write a new chapter with the Chinese market.