One of the world's largest and best-known hotel brands, Mercure, will launch in Japan mid-year with the rebranding of the Hotel Lets Narita to Mercure Hotel Narita. The hotel signals the first step in Mercure's long-term plans to establish itself in Japan as it continues its expansion throughout the Asia Pacific region.

The 250-room hotel, owned by private equity fund Lone Star group, has been closed for some time and will undergo a multi-million dollar renovation program to meet Mercure's international standards and create a hotel that capitalises on its unique environment.

Narita was chosen as the perfect launch city for Mercure in Japan because it is the key gateway to the country, said Michael Issenberg, Accor's Managing Director for Australia, New Zealand, the South Pacific and Japan. More than 65,000 people fly in and out of Narita every day, making this the busiest airport in the country with more than 25 million passenger movements per year. It is on par with Orly Paris and Changi Singapore airports.

Accor now offers the full range of hotel accommodation in Japan, including Formule 1, Mercure, Novotel and Sofitel and over the next few years we expect strong growth across all brands, he said. We are very happy to be returning this important hotel to Narita's tourism infrastructure and to be bringing an affordable international hotel to Japan's busiest airport.

In addition to leisure and corporate guests, Mercure Narita looks forward to becoming the preferred hotel for airline crews, with more than 50 airlines operating out of Narita, he said.

Mercure Hotel Narita, located next to the train station, provides easy access to Narita Airport and is just an hour from Tokyo, facilitating easy day excursions into the city for international travellers transiting at Narita. Facilities include a restaurant and bar, gymnasium, parking and conference rooms. The hotel is also centrally located for Narita Temple and the ubiquitous golf courses in Chiba.

Mercure Hotel Narita joins a vast network of over 720 Mercures in 45 countries. Mercure hotels are renown for being the 'keys to the city' and provide a true taste of the region in which they are based.