NIGER: Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey Now Open

Radisson Hotel Group opens the Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey – the first and only 5-Star international brand hotel in Niger.

With 189 rooms and suites, eight meeting rooms and a dedicated conference center, the hotel boasts unparalleled views of the city from its city center location near to the Parliament and the Presidential Palace.

Tim Cordon, Area Senior Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, said: We are delighted to open our first hotel in Niamey, the capital and largest city of the West African country Niger.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey will enhance the local hotel landscape as the country’s first and only five-star internationally branded hotel.

The hotel is a perfect addition to our Radisson Blu portfolio, the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa and our fast-growing African portfolio.”

Designed with modern business and leisure needs in mind, the rooms and suites offer the latest in contemporary design, keeping with local aesthetics for an authentic Nigerien ambience.

The room types range from standard rooms, junior and executive suites to presidential and royal suites.

With over 1,150sqm of space, the conference center is the city’s first and the largest of its kind. Equipped with the latest audiovisual equipment and standards in mind, this spectacular ballroom echoes both the business and social life of the city.

Along with the only conference center in town, the hotel offers another eight meeting rooms – ideal for any type of event hosting up to 2,500 guests.

The hotel offers exceptional dining experiences to suite all tastes and appetites. Guests can enjoy local and international flavors prepared by a team of international chefs at the on-site Al Mina restaurant, which offers convenient all-day dining.

The Lobby Lounge provides the perfect location for a quick tea or coffee catch up, whether business or pleasure. For those seeking a taste of international cuisine, the New York Restaurant & Bar and its pool terrace are open 24/7.

Guests can also bask in the views of the Niger River, with the Zaxi Rooftop Lounge & Bar providing a spectacular setting.

The grand and expansive 870sqm Lotus Spa Health & Beauty Center provides a space for our guests to relax and unwind, with facilities including a sauna, Turkish bath and a large jacuzzi.

The spa features six massage rooms, with special treatments designed to cleanse the body. Simply relax and soak up the sun at the outdoor pool or keep fit at the fitness center, furnished with the latest equipment and an aerobics area where classes are provided for in-house guests.

Be pampered with a manicure or have a haircut by internationally awarded hairstylists at the hotel’s Beauty Center.

Mr. Selim Bora, President of Summa Group, said:“Today, the city of Niamey witnesses a grand hotel opening, the first branded hotel in the city, Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey whose presence contributes to the financial development of Niamey, and of Niger.

This is an important day for everyone who worked to make this great project a reality. With an overall investment of 38m EUR and another record registered in terms of speed.

Summa Construction Group has built this shiny jewel in only 11 months. Regardless of the challenges that we’ve faced along the way, today we are looking at the most unique, upper scale and high-quality hotel in Niger.

Mr. Husnu Tayanc, the Vice-president of Summa Hospitality and the General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center Niamey, said: We are proud to open the first and only international brand hotel in Niger and to bring Radisson Blu to the country.

This is the fifth hotel that Summa Group has successfully realized and the third project in partnership with Radisson Hotel Group – a relationship that we absolutely enjoy and appreciate.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey is, without a doubt, a landmark project for Niamey, and one that will redefine the area’s tourism map.

The hotel combines a palette of natural colors and design inspired by West African motifs, creating an elegant hub for the contemporary traveler, while the innovations and modern technologies make it a unique offering for the Nigerian market.

With our “Yes I Can!” service philosophy, we’re seeking to tailor the services to our guests needs and create the best experience, both for business and leisure travelers.

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center, Niamey will shine like a star in West Africa, pleasing the eyes of its guests.

Tourism Observer

NIGERIA: Air Peace Adds Fleet, Promises To Fly International

Air Peace’s plan to cover more local routes and operate international flights has received a huge boost with the delivery of the new aircraft it recently acquired.

Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the airline,Chief Allen Onyema said in Lagos that the airline embarked on the acquisition of more aircraft to service its local market and the international routes recently approved for it.

“We have been designated to fly into Dakar, Senegal, Accra, Ghana, Niamey, Niger; Abidjan, Ivory Coast; and Douala, Cameroun, China, Dubai, India, and South Africa.

“One of the new aircraft has the capacity to take 142 passengers, while the other can take 126 passengers. In our fleet, we now have nine Boeing and one Dornier aircraft. Some of the aircraft we will be deployed for the regional routes.

“We have visited the civil aviation and relevant authorities in these countries and plans are at an advanced stage. We will soon announce our commencement dates on these routes, but one thing we want to assure our passengers is that we will put in our cockpit the best of pilots,” Onyema said.

Air Peace, he said, was ready to deepen its investment in the nation’s aviation industry as well as create more jobs for Nigerians.

He, however, regretted that the difficulty in sourcing foreign exchange and aviation fuel was straining the operations of airlines in the country.

Onyema commended the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika for working tirelessly to ease the operational challenges of airlines in the country, saying local flight operators needed more public support to survive.

He said “The domestic airline industry is not getting the right support it deserves from the government as they would rather do everything possible to support foreign airlines,”

“We do more for the country than the foreign airlines. If the foreign airlines face the kind of challenges that we face for 72 hours, they will all pack out of Nigeria. The government must rise up and protect local airlines,” he added.

Some of the challenges facing local airlines according to Onyema include forex and fuel scarcity, high premium on insurance, double taxation to regulatory and airport agencies, and Nigerian Customs Services’ failure to comply with government directives on exemption VAT on importation of important aircraft spares.

QATAR: Qatar Completes Inter-line Agreement With Air Maroc

Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc have announced a bilateral codeshare agreement.

The inter-line agreement with Air Maroc will take effect from tomorrow, connecting the two carrier routes between Qatar and Morocco on Royal Air Maroc operation across West Africa.

Passenger can now book single itinerary connecting Qatar Airways and Royal Air Maroc with one-stop ticketing and baggage check-in.

Qatar Airways travellers travelling to Casablanca will now be able to connect onto the West African cities of Cotonou, Ouagadougou, Praia, Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, Abidjan, Libreville, Banjul, Conakry, Bissau, Monrovia, Bamako, Niamey, Lagos, Nouakchott, Freetown and Lomé.

Passengers will also be able to travel onwards to Marrakech within Morocco, Agadir, Tangier, Guelmime, Tan Tan, Tetouan, Al Hoceima, Fes, Errachidia, Oujda, Nador, Ouarzazate, Zagora, Laayounte, Dakhla and Beni Mellal.

Royal Air Maroc will launch its thrice-weekly B787 operation to Doha on September 9,

Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said: “The launch of this codeshare agreement with Royal Air Maroc is great news for our business passengers who frequently travel on Qatar Airways, as they will be able to connect seamlessly onwards to almost 20 destinations across the West African region.”