Global hospitality major Accor said it will launch three hotel brands in India by the end of this year, taking the total number of Accor brands in the country to six as per a PTI report.

"We already have ibis, Mercure and Novotel brands in India...and three brands - Formule 1, Sofitel and Pullman - are set to debut within this year," Accor Asia Pacific Communications Vice-President Evan Lewis. He said the company is making investments in India for an aggressive expansion. "India is a key market for Accor as it offers vast business potential," he said. Since its entry into India in 2005, Accor has invested USD 250 million in India, primarily on hotel development. He, however, did not provide investment details for future projects.

Accor currently operates nine hotels in India with a total inventory of 1,684 rooms. In August last year, the company had said that it plans to open 90 hotels in the country by 2015. Around 21 hotels are likely to be operational by the end of 2012. The company is also building assets for ownership although it will be focusing in managing the majority of the planned hotels.

At present Accor, in partnership with InterGlobe Enterprises, runs hotels under the ibis brand. It has partnership with other companies for the Novotel and Mercure brands. Accor and InterGlobe have also set up an investment fund to develop hotel assets in India with Pacifica Partners, which has 36% equity in the fund. Accor and InterGlobe each hold 32% stake in the fund.