Despite the negative affects of the global economic slowdown, many international brands continue their expansion into the Russian market. In Yekaterinburg, which is the third largest city in Russia, the Hyatt Regency opened additional 296 rooms on April 1, 2009. By the end of 2009, the Accor group plans to open two Mercure hotels in Russia, one in Moscow and the other in the oil city of Tyumen as well as new Novotel in Yekaterinburg and 3 properties under the Ibis brand: in Moscow, Kazan, and Samara.