Accor plans strategic expansion for Vietnam

French hospitality and prepaid services group Accor SA Tuesday announced details of a strategic expansion in Vietnam.

"This plan includes additional hotels within the Novotel, Mercure hotel brand, launching of the ibis brand and MGallery label and the ambitious goal of doubling the number of rooms under management in Vietnam by 2012," the company said in a statement.

Accor is in the midst of spinning off its prepaid services division and concentrating on hospitality lines that make up the bulk of its global operations.

The company said it plans to expand the number of brands on offer in Vietnam to include the upscale Pullman and MGallery brands, as well as the more economical ibis.

Later this year, Accor will open its first Pullman hotel in Vietnam--Pullman Vung Tao--and the second MGallery hotel there--Hotel De L'Opera Hanoi.

Beyond that, additional developments include three Novotels--Novotel Imperial Hoi An, Novotel Resort Phu Quoc and Novotel Saigon Centre. Mercure Hanoi Hado, with it's central location in the city, will be the third Mercure for Vietnam.

Accor has 13 hotels and 2,147 rooms throughout Vietnam and plans more than 2,000 more through the new developments.