Accor plans to expand its midprice Mercure brand to 1,000 hotels during the next five years,

the company announced. The company, which currently has 732 Mercure hotels in 50 countries, plans to expand largely through franchising, not only in its top markets of France, Germany and the United Kingdom but also in two new countries per year, according to Accor. This year, Mercure plans to open 53 new hotels, including its first in Turkey and Sweden. Mercure also is introducing in select hotels a new lobby design, which includes digital tablets to speed up guest check-ins, new modular work spaces and new dining concepts, including a self-service, 24-hour cuisine lounge.