Marriott International To Rebrand Protea Hotels

Marriott International announced on Tuesday that is will be rebranding Protea Hotels to capitalize on the travel aspirations of Africa’s growing middle class and the increased presence of international hotel brands in Africa.

The rebranding includes an updated and modernized logo and the “by Marriott” endorsement, the group said in a statement.

The brand is now officially Protea Hotels by Marriott ®.
Marriott says its endorsement of Protea Hotels signifies a turning point for the South African-based brand, which Marriott acquired in 2014.

‘Enhancing Protea Hotels’ brand strength’
Having successfully integrated Protea’s systems and operations, Marriott says it is enhancing Protea Hotels’ brand strength and awareness through its endorsement, stating the rebranding represents it’s long-term commitment to evolving Protea Hotels from a strong regional player to a globally recognized brand with international appeal by leveraging the power of Marriott.
Additionally, the endorsement will strengthen Marriott’s awareness in Southern Africa, through Protea’s footprint in the region.

“Travel to and within Sub Saharan Africa continues to grow at an impressive rate, and Protea Hotels by Marriott® is well positioned to capitalize on and drive this trend,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.
“Consumer research conducted in South Africa in 2015 confirms that the endorsement of Protea Hotels by a large, international brand company such as Marriott would elevate brand perception and preference, further supporting the strategic move to endorse the brand.”

‘Africa hotel industry grows nearly 30% in one year’
Traveller24 recently reported that new figures from the annual W Hospitality Group Hotel Chain Development Pipeline Survey, that indicate planned hotel rooms in Africa has soared to 64 000 in 365 hotels, up almost 30% on the previous year.

The increase is largely down to strong growth in sub-Saharan Africa, which is up 42.1% on 2015 and is significantly outstripping North Africa which achieved only a modest 7.5% pipeline increase this year.

‘Africa is poised for major growth’
The growth of Africa’s business and specifically its Tourism and Leisure sectors has been anticipated for a number of years now – but in 2016 its seems a lot of bricks and mortar are going into making it a reality.

Added to this, recent search data shared by Cheapflights shows that tourism – not business travel, actual holiday-making – is driving more travel out of South Africa with traditional holiday destinations dominating the top ten cities and top ten countries for travel from South Africa across the African continent.
Mauritius, Tanzania, Mozambique, Madagascar, the Seychelles and Morocco all sit within the top ten searched African destinations for South Africans.