The Radisson Hotel Group, Intercontinental Hotels Group and Marriott International are expanding their presence across Africa, thereby tapping into its potential of being a major hospitality hub.
The Radisson Hotel Group has announced the signing of 11 new hotels in Africa, which brings the Group’s African portfolio to almost 100 hotels and over 17,000 rooms in operation and under development across 32 African countries.
Andrew McLachlan, senior vice president, development, Sub Sahara Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, said, “It has been a really robust year for Radisson Hotel Group, especially in Africa, a continent we strongly believe in. This year we have signed a new hotel deal every 25 days, each aligned with our focused development strategy which includes the introduction of new brands and scaled growth in key cities. We are currently focusing on 23 out of the 60 larger cities.”
The brand aims to operate more than 130 hotels by 2022. New properties in pipeline are Radisson RED Johannesburg Rosebank, South Africa; Radisson Hotel La Baie d’Alger Algiers, Algeria and three hotels in Madagascar.
Likewise, Marriott International is preparing to add 40 new properties in Africa by the end of 2023. The group currently has close to 140 hotels across 14 brands and 20 countries and territories in the continent. Four Points by Sheraton São Vincente, Laginha Beach in Cape Verde; Four Points by Sheraton Mekelle in Ethiopia; Protea Hotel by Marriott Kisumu in Kenya and Residence Inn by Marriott Lagos Victoria Island in Nigeria are some recent dealings by Marriott in Africa.
Commenting on this news, Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International said, “Africa is a land of opportunity with untapped potential and remains core to our strategy. The economic growth the region is witnessing, along with the substantial emphasis countries across the continent are placing on the travel and tourism sector, present us with immense opportunities for growth.”
Meanwhile, the Intercontinental Hotels Group has signed a Master Development Agreement (MDA) with Aleph Hospitality to develop ten franchise hotels across IHG’s portfolio of brands. The MDA will see IHG augment its presence in Africa across key countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria and Ghana. IHG currently operates 29 hotels across six brands in Africa.
Speaking on the announcement, Pascal Gauvin, managing director, India, Middle East and Africa, IHG, said, “We are delighted to sign this agreement with Aleph Hospitality, which will add a significant number of rooms across our portfolio of brands in the African continent. Key markets across Africa continue to see solid growth in tourism key performance indicators and we remain optimistic of the long-term potential for the hospitality sector.”
Namrata Bhandari
