The largest hotel group in the world, Intercontinental Hotels Group, will double the number of its properties in China by 2008.

The company now manages 57 hotels in China. It plans to run 125 properties by that time. It says 50 new hotels are currently in the pipeline, including 15 five-star Crowne Plaza hotels.

The company says it will continue to expand beyond China's biggest cities. The company opened a Crowne Plaza hotel in Qingdao in June and another in Changshu opened two weeks ago.

The hotel group will also consider franchising to help expand, but it hasn't set up a schedule for offering franchise opportunities yet.

(CRIENGLISH.com August 2, 2006)