Accor says it plans to to sell and lease back 80 hotels next year as part a plan to raise cash to step up expansion in countries including Russia and China.

Bloomberg reports that Accor wants to accelerate growth by increasing the number of hotel rooms it runs by 20% to 550,000 by 2008.

The properties to be sold in 2006 are Novotel and Mercure units, Accor's mid-market brands.