Home Inns and Hotels Management is to open 280 hotels in 2011 as part of its expansion plan.

The Chinese hotel group plans to have 110 hotels on a lease-and-operate basis and 170 will be franchised and managed hotels.

In addition, Home Inns aims to enter the mid-scale hotel segment in China with four new hotels in 2011 under its Yitel brand.

With the opening of the new hotels, Home Inns’ total number of properties will increase to 1,100 by the end of 2011.

“The time is right for us to enter a new era of growth,” said Home Inns CEO David Sun.