The 350-room InterContinental Beijing North will be developed by Beijing North Star Company Limited, one of China's leading property groups and a key player in the development of Beijing's Asian Games and Olympics centers.

The hotel will be located close to the proposed National Convention Center, which will be the capital's largest convention venue.

Edmond Ip, InterContinental Hotels Group's chief operating officer, Greater China, said: "The upcoming Olympics will have a positive long term impact on the economies of Beijing and China as a whole and we are proud to be appointed to manage the Olympic Center's first luxury hotel."

This is InterContinental Hotels Group's second Olympic signing in China. In June, the Group announced plans to launch InterContinental Qingdao, which will be part of the coastal city's integrated Olympic Water Sports Center.

InterContinental Hotels Group is the largest international hotel operator in China, with a portfolio of 59 hotels across four brands. The company is on track towards having 125 hotels open in China by the end of 2008.

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