Hotelex Shanghai, the largest exhibition in Asia's hospitality industry, is expected to open at the Shanghai New International Expo Center on April 1.

The three-day event, which will feature innovative elements and green concepts, contains 10 themed sectors that include catering equipment, tableware, fitness & leisure, and food.

Zhang Xueqiang, general manager of Shanghai UBM Sinoexpo International Exhibition Co Ltd, said the exhibits will occupy 11 halls and 160,000 square meters — 32 per cent more than 2012's event.

International pavilions from Italy, Spain, the United States, Germany and Japan will showcase exhibits along with the world's 1,500 leading brands, Zhang said.

The China Tourist Hotel Association will organize a delegation composed of about 500 general managers from existing hotels and hotels under construction to visit the exhibition.

Statistics from the association show that as of July 2012, deluxe hotels accounted for 65 per cent of the Chinese hotel market. A total 1,642 hotels will be built in the Asia-Pacific region in the next three to five years with 691 in China.

"Many property developers have listed the hotel industry as their key business, planning to inject heavy funds into it," he said.

Zhang cited Greenland Group and Wanda Group as examples, saying that the former has worked out a plan to build 15 four- to five-star hotels annually in the next three years in a bid to increase its hotels up to 100 by 2015; while the latter plans to have 80 hotels in operation before 2015.

Organizers will hold forums, seminars, industry competitions and match-making sessions at the exhibition.