China's antitrust regulator approved Marriott International Inc's deal to buy Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc, paving the way for the combined company to become the world's largest hotel group.

The two hoteliers announced on Tuesday their merger transaction has received approval from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce. It was the only review pending after the companies secured pre-merger approvals from more than 40 countries including the United States and Canada as well as the European Union.

Zhao Huanyan, an economist at Huamei Hotel Consulting, said the merger has no impact on the hospitality industry.