H World Group Announces Board Changes

SHANGHAI, July 02, 2024 — H World Group Limited (NASDAQ: HTHT and HKEX: 1179) (“H World” or the “Company”), a key player in the global hotel industry, today announced changes to its board of directors. Mr. Shangzhi Zhang will step down as a director and transition to the role of board observer, effective from July 2, 2024. Concurrently, Ms. Jie Zheng, a senior advisor to the Company and a supervisory board member of Steigenberger Hotels GmbH, a subsidiary of H World, will assume the position of executive director of the Board, effective on the same date.

Ms. Zheng brings over two decades of leadership experience in both the automotive and hospitality sectors, spanning both China and international markets. She currently serves as a venture partner of Peeli Ventures, providing management consulting for portfolio companies in the consumer goods and MarTech industries. Previously, she held the role of chief strategist at H World from October 2019 to September 2020. Ms. Zheng rejoined H World in January 2023 as a senior advisor and has been a supervisory board member of Steigenberger Hotels GmbH since November 2023. Prior to her current roles, Ms. Zheng held various positions within Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Group in China (“FCA China”) from October 2010 to April 2019, culminating in her role as chief executive officer of FCA China (currently known as Stellantis) and general manager of GAC Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Sales Co., Ltd. Before joining FCA China, she served as vice president of marketing for Chrysler Group China Sales Ltd. from May 2008 to October 2010, vice president of communications for Honeywell (China) Co., Ltd. from January 2007 to May 2008, vice president of global public affairs and communications for OnStar Corporation (a subsidiary of General Motors) in the U.S. from October 2005 to January 2007, and held various roles in public affairs and communications at General Motors China Inc. from January 1997 to September 2005. Ms. Zheng’s career began as a business reporter for China Daily and Shanghai Star from July 1993 to January 1997. Ms. Zheng holds a bachelor’s degree in international journalism from Shanghai International Studies University (1993), a master’s degree in business administration from Rutgers University (2004), a master’s degree in psychology from Arizona State University (2023), and is currently pursuing a PhD in psychology from California Institute of Integral Studies. Notably, Ms. Zheng was recognized as one of the Most Influential Business Women in China by Fortune in 2011, 2014, 2017, and 2018. She has also been awarded the Mulan Award for Top Business Women in China by China Entrepreneur for six consecutive years since 2013.

Mr. Qi Ji, the Company’s founder and executive chairman of the Board, expressed, “I extend my congratulations to Jie on her appointment as an executive director of the Board. We are confident that Jie’s strong leadership, coupled with her extensive expertise and experience across diverse industries, will be invaluable to the Board. On behalf of the Company, I would also like to express our sincere gratitude to Mr. Shangzhi Zhang for his dedication, commitment, and significant contributions over the years as a member of the Board.”

About H World Group Limited

H World Group Limited, with its roots in China, is a prominent player in the global hotel industry. As of March 31, 2024, H World managed a portfolio of 9,817 hotels with 955,657 rooms in operation across 18 countries. The company’s brand portfolio includes Hi Inn, Elan Hotel, HanTing Hotel, JI Hotel, Starway Hotel, Orange Hotel, Crystal Orange Hotel, Manxin Hotel, Madison Hotel, Joya Hotel, Blossom House, Ni Hao Hotel, CitiGO Hotel, Steigenberger Hotels & Resorts, MAXX, Jaz in the City, IntercityHotel, Zleep Hotels, Steigenberger Icon, and Song Hotels. Furthermore, H World holds master franchise rights for Mercure, Ibis, and Ibis Styles, and co-development rights for Grand Mercure and Novotel, in the pan-China region.

H World operates through a combination of leased and owned, manachised, and franchised models. Under the lease and ownership model, H World directly operates hotels located on leased or owned properties. The manachise model involves H World managing hotels through appointed on-site hotel managers, while collecting fees from franchisees. In the franchise model, H World provides training, reservations, and support services to franchisees, collecting fees while not appointing on-site hotel managers. Across all its hotels, H World maintains consistent standards and utilizes a unified platform. As of March 31, 2024, 11 percent of H World’s hotel rooms operate under the lease and ownership model, while 89 percent operate under the manachise and franchise model.

For more information, please visit H World’s website: .

Safe Harbor Statement Under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: The information in this release contains forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties. Such factors and risks include our anticipated growth strategies; our future results of operations and financial condition; economic conditions; the regulatory environment; our ability to attract and retain customers and leverage our brands; trends and competition in the lodging industry; the expected growth of demand for lodging; and other factors and risks detailed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, which may be identified by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “will,” “expect,” “plan,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “potential,” “forecast,” “project” or “continue,” the negative of such terms or other comparable terminology. Readers should not rely on forward-looking statements as predictions of future events or results.

H World undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless required by applicable law.

Contact Information
Investor Relations
Tel: +86 (21) 6195 9561
Email: ir@hworld.com
https://ir.hworld.com