China Lodging Group, Limited Announces Appointment of New Director and Resignation of Vice Chairman of Board of Directors

SHANGHAI, China, Nov. 20, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Board of Directors of China Lodging Group, Limited (Nasdaq:HTHT) ("China Lodging Group" or the "Company"), today announced the appointment of Mr. Yongjian Sun as the Director of Company's Board and the acceptance of the resignation from Mr. Matthew Zhang as the Director of Company's Board and the Vice-chairman of the Board, effective immediately.

Mr. Matthew Zhang served the Company since 2007, in the capacity of COO, CEO, Vice-chairman of the Board in different phases. Matthew resigned from the Board because his relocation to overseas made it inconvenient for him to fulfill the daily responsibilities as a Director.

Mr. Sun is the Executive Director and President of BM Holding Group, a Shanghai-based conglomerate company specialized in international trade, development of commercial real estate, logistics management, and hotel operations and property management. Previously, Mr. Sun served as senior management role in Shanghai Baosteel Group Corporation and its subsidiary. Mr. Sun graduated from Shanghai University of Finance and Economics.

"We would like to thank Matthew for his dedication and contribution to China Lodging Group's rapid growth over the years," commented Mr. Qi Ji, founder, executive Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of China Lodging Group. "On behalf of the board, I would like to welcome Mr. Sun. His extensive industry experience provides a valuable addition to the Board."

About China Lodging Group, Limited

China Lodging Group, Limited is a leading and fast-growing multi-brand hotel group in China. The Company provides business and leisure travelers with high-quality, and conveniently-located hotel products under six brands, namely, Joya Hotel, Manxin Hotels & Resorts, JI Hotel, Starway Hotel, HanTing Hotel, and Hi Inn. For more information, please visit the Company's website: http://ir.huazhu.com.

Safe Harbor Statement Under the 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; the economic conditions of China; the regulatory environment in China; our ability to attract customers and leverage our brand; trends and competition in the lodging industry; the expected growth of the lodging market in China; and other factors and risks detailed in our filings with the 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. The Company 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: Ida Yu

         Investor Relations Manager

         Tel: 86 (21) 6195 9561

         Email: ir@huazhu.com

         http://ir.huazhu.com