Shanghai, 20th November 2008 - ibis, the worldwide economy hotel brand of the Accor group, today announced the opening of the 800th ibis hotel, the ibis Shanghai Lianyang in the People�s Republic of China.

�This 800th hotel is a double milestone for ibis�, said Helen Lalitte, Senior Vice President ibis Global Marketing, �it demonstrates our capacity to meet the ambitious objectives of our global development program and also the hotel is located in China, a key market for our brands expansion in Asia�.

The launch of the ibis Shanghai Lianyang represents an important step in the ongoing worldwide expansion program of the ibis network. Since its creation in 1974, the brand has grown consistently, first in Europe and gradually throughout all continents. In 2007, ibis dramatically accelerated its worldwide development, with an objective of a network of 1,100 hotels and 150,000 bedrooms in more than 70 countries by 2010. Between 2008 and 2010, one to two new ibis hotels will open globally each week.

Up to two new ibis hotels every week

Following the already significant expansion in 2007, when 40 new ibis hotels opened, the brand accelerated its expansion program again this year (2008), with an additional 58 new hotels representing 11,000 new rooms in more than 20 countries.

Among new markets entered in 2008 include India, where ibis opened in Gurgaon, near New Delhi. The brand also expanded its presence in Russia (one opening), Brazil (six openings), the United Arab Emirates (two openings) and Kuwait (one opening), at the same time reinforcing its leadership in Europe with openings in mature markets such as France and Spain.

Other Asia Pacific openings in 2008 have included Ibis hotels in Suwon in South Korea, Phuket, Pattaya, Bangkok and Koh Samui in Thailand, Solo and Semarang in Indonesia, Beijing and Tianjin in China. An additional eight ibis hotels will open in the Asia Pacific before the end of the year including Sydney, Harbin and Dongguan.

In the next two years, the ibis network will continue to expand rapidly in emerging regions, with a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region. �We see a strong growth in the demand for value driven accommodation, by local, regional and multinational business travellers�, said Michael Issenberg, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer, Accor Asia Pacific. �The opening of the ibis Shanghai Lianyang symbolises the importance of the Asian region in our global expansion strategy�.

In the next two years, Asia Pacific will become the leading growth market for ibis. 40% of the 310 new hotels the brand is planning to launch between 2008 and 2010 will be located in key cities of this region, nearly doubling the brand�s presence in the region over this period.

"2008 will remain a memorable year for China, in particular for the Beijing Olympics�, said Gilles Larriv�, Senior Vice-President, ibis China. �It was also a very dynamic and successful year for ibis in this key market. Following the opening of the ibis Beijing Sanyuan last month, the ibis Shanghai Lianyang is our 16th hotel in China. This accelerated expansion demonstrates the local relevance and appeal of the ibis offer�.

ibis, the worldwide economy hotel brand of the Accor group, offers consistent quality accommodation and services in all its hotels, for the best local value: a well-designed and fully-equipped en-suite bedroom, major hotel services available 24/7 and a wide choice of on-site food and beverage options. The quality of the ibis standard has been recognised by the International Organization for Standardization certification ISO 9001 since 1997. ibis is also the world�s first hotel chain to demonstrate its environmental commitment through securing the ISO 14001 certification, which has already been awarded to nearly one third of its hotels. Established in 1974, ibis is the European leader and one of the first economy hotel chains in the world, with nearly 90,000 rooms and 790 hotels in 39 countries, including 55 in the Asia Pacific For additional information, please visit www.ibishotel.com

Accor, a major global group and the European leader in hotels, as well as the global leader in services to corporate clients and public institutions, operates in nearly 100 countries with 150,000 employees. It offers to its clients over 40 years of expertise in two core businesses: � Hotels, with the Sofitel, Pullman, MGallery, Novotel, Mercure, Suitehotel, Ibis, all seasons, Etap Hotel, Formule 1 and Motel 6 brands, representing 4,000 hotels and nearly 500,000 rooms in 90 countries, as well as strategically related activities, such as Len�tre; � Services, with 30 million people in 40 countries benefiting from Accor Services products in employee and public benefits, rewards and loyalty, and expense management.

Evan Lewis Vice President Communications Asia Pacific Tel : +65 6408 8840 Email: Evan.Lewis@accor.com