After its alliance with Meliá Hotels, Accor and Radisson Hotel Group, Ctrip announces the signature of a partnership with IHG.

The British operator launched its first flagship store on the Chinese OTA platform, as part of Trip.com Group. This launch marks IHG’s strategy as a global company with optimization of its digital distribution channel.

The tailored flagship store enables guests to book a room from over 470 IHG hotels in Greater China and allows Trip.com Group members to register with IHG’s loyalty programme.

Jolyon Bulley, CEO, IHG Greater China, remarked: "[…] Over our 36 years of operation in China, we have and will continue to build an ‘in China for China’ business, focused on evolving Chinese consumer expectations. We are looking forward to better leveraging the resources from both sides, providing more guests with convenient booking experience, a richer range of benefits as well as our True Hospitality."

Ray Chen, CEO of Accommodation Business at Trip.com Group said: "We are delighted to work with IHG, as part of this win-win collaboration further enriching the travel experience for our customers. This partnership also reflects our continuous efforts to deliver a pleasant, seamless and efficient travel experience."

With the domestic hotel sector in China gradually returning to normalcy, The May Day holiday has brought a significant rise in IHG hotel bookings in the domestic market.