HUAZHU Group named as "Most Honored Company" in Asia by Institutional Investor

CEO Jenny Zhang Awarded "Best CEO"

SHANGHAI, July 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- HUAZHU Group (Formerly: China Lodging Group) was named a "Most Honored Company" in the 2018 All-Asia Executive Team Rankings released recently by leading global financial community Institutional Investor. Within the Gaming & Lodging Sector, HUAZHU Group ranked in the top-three out of 36 companies – chief executive officer Jenny Zhang ranked first overall for Best CEO, chief financial officer Teo Nee Chuan ranked third for Best CFO, while Investor Relations Director Ida Yu ranked third for Best IR Professional. HUAZHU Group ranked second for Best Corporate Governance.

Institutional Investor is a leading global business to business publisher that focuses primarily on international finance. The 2018 All-Asia Executive Team Rankings were based on a poll of over 4,500 respondents consisting of money managers and research analysts representing US$1.6 trillion in Asian equities (excluding Japan). Among the 2,367 nominees, HUAZHU Group, along with Alibaba Group, JD.com and Samsung Electronics, were included in this year's "Most Honored Company" list.

Since its founding in 2005, with a professional and efficient intelligent management system, HUAZHU Group has always been dedicated to delivering diverse and quality accommodation and travel experiences to its customers, thus providing a better lifestyle. Following the establishment of the strategic alliance with AccorHotels and acquisition of Crystal Orange Group, HUAZHU's multi-brand strategy was further enhanced, with Grand Mercure, Novotel, Mercure, Manxin, Crystal Orange, ibis, Ji and HanTing brands, etc., covering market segments at all levels to meet the diversified customers' needs for accommodation. At the same time, HUAZHU's business also extends to every aspect of daily life, whether that be a hotel accommodation, an apartment, office space, IT services or coffee shops, etc., with the aim of building a service chain that delivers quality life experiences through an ecosystem that addresses the customer's needs no matter where he or she may be: at home, in the office or on a business trip.

The Chinese hotel giant, which, as of May 31, 2018, was valued at US$12.8 billion, has surpassed InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) in market capitalization as the hospitality group with the world's fourth highest valuation. While maximizing value for investors, HUAZHU has always maintained good relations with investors based on the principles of openness and transparency. With strong support from the investor community, the group plans to continue its efforts in creating long-term value for customers, partners and investors.

About HUAZHU Group (NASDAQ: HTHT)

HUAZHU Group (Formerly: China Lodging Group) is a leading multi-brand hotel group in China, operating 3,817 hotels or 384,959 rooms across over 370 cities as of March 31, 2018. Since its founding in 2005, HUAZHU has committed itself to a better life with its professional and efficient intelligent management system and a focus on providing customers with high-quality and diverse accommodation and travel experiences.

Since 2014, HUAZHU and Accor have formed an extensive and long-term alliance to jointly develop the hotel business in the Pan-China region. Through close cooperation, HUAZHU now operates a wide range of hotel brands covering the full spectrum of the market from Upscale (Grand Mercure, VUE, Joya) to Midscale (Novotel, Mercure, Manxin, Ji, Crystal Orange, Orange Select, CitiGO, Starway, ibis Styles) and Economy (ibis, HanTing Plus, HanTing, Elan, Hi), meeting the needs from business to leisure. H Rewards, an upgraded loyalty program and an efficient, warm, user-friendly hotel booking platform as well, integrates premium hotel resources to provide accommodation, travel, shopping and other preferred services for over 100 million members.

To build a world class enterprise, HUAZHU, under the leadership of its founder Ji Qi, has become one of the fastest growing hotel groups in China and ranked 9th among the world's largest hotel groups by Hotels magazine in 2017. And HanTing has been listed as one of the BrandZ Top 100 Most Valuable Chinese Brands for five consecutive years.

SOURCE HUAZHU Group