AFRICA: Radisson Blu Is The Leading Individual Hotel Brand In Africa

Radisson Blu has for a second year in a row, secured the leading position as the hotel brand with the most hotels under development and the most hotel deals in its pipeline in Africa, according to the recently published 2019 W Hospitality Pipeline Report.

Radisson Blu, part of the Radisson Hotel Group™ took over as the fastest growing hotel brand in Africa last year and has for a second year claimed the title with the recent release of W Hospitality Pipeline Report 2019, the most authoritative source on the growth of the hotel industry in Africa.

The report has ranked Radisson Blu as the leading individual hotel brand with the highest number of hotel deals and within this pipeline, the largest number of rooms and proportion of its pipeline actually under construction, in Africa.

The Group's upper midscale brand, Park Inn by Radisson, has also entered the same top 10 brand list, securing the fifth position.

We are thrilled to see our flagship brand, Radisson Blu, continuing to lead the way in Africa with the most hotel deals signed and the most hotel rooms under construction, than any of the other 120 hotel brands it was ranked against.

This is a true testament of our agility as a hotel group, as we can move quickly from deal signing to hotel opening. As referenced in the report, we had several hotels which were signed and opened within the same year.

This is aligned with our development strategy, as we expect our future growth to arise from existing hotel take-overs and new build hotels.

With economic headwinds in some African markets, we have identified further opportunities to exploit our vast knowledge and experience in converting unbranded, underperforming hotels, offices or apartment buildings and re-position them to the right brand and market segment within the Radisson Hotel Group brand portfolio, says Andrew Mclachlan, Senior Vice President, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa, Radisson Hotel Group.

This growth has spiked Radisson Hotel Group's portfolio in Africa to 99 hotels (20,500+ rooms) in operation and under development across 32 countries.

We aim to add a further 12 hotels to our African portfolio this year, which will take us well over the 100 hotel mark by year end and confidently on our way to securing 130 hotels by the end of 2022.

Our five-year development strategy focuses on creating scaled hotel growth in key cities and resort locations across Africa.

With a focus on scaled growth in key locations across Africa, we can offer guests multiple hotels across different brands and market segments, at various price points and improved local hotel performance with strong local procurement and cluster select services in the same city.

Cape Town, Johannesburg and Lagos are our three gateway cities in sub-Saharan Africa where we aim to have scaled growth and an ambition of up to ten hotels within the same city.

Dakar, Abidjan, Douala, Luanda, Nairobi, Dar es Salaam and Addis Ababa are cities where we aim to have between three and five hotels due to the size of the economy, market, long-term fundamentals and supply and demand opportunities.

In addition, we are not ignoring the smaller cities and larger towns across Africa where we've identified potential to penetrate the market with either our midscale Park Inn by Radisson brand or upscale Radisson, concludes Mclachlan.

FRICA: Carlson Rezidor Projects More Than 23,000 Hotel Rooms In Africa By 2020

Africa is our biggest growth market. A major hotel group is echoing this development by a number of competitors and is looking at Africa as an enormous travel and tourism potential

An accelerated African growth strategy for Carlson Rezidor, one of the world’s largest hotel groups, is on track to achieve its target of more than 23,000 rooms open or under development in Africa by the end of 2020.

Rezidor’s President and CEO, Wolfgang M. Neumann, who is a speaker at the Africa Hotel Investment Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, says the hotel group launched its accelerated African growth strategy in 2014 with ambitions to double its portfolio in Africa by the end of 2020. “Africa has always been close to our hearts. We were the early movers on the continent in 2000 when we established our dedicated business development base in Cape Town.

An accelerated African growth strategy for Carlson Rezidor, one of the world’s largest hotel groups, is on track to achieve its target of more than 23,000 rooms open or under development in Africa by the end of 2020.

Rezidor’s President and CEO, Wolfgang M. Neumann, who is a speaker at the Africa Hotel Investment Conference in Kigali, Rwanda, says the hotel group launched its accelerated African growth strategy in 2014 with ambitions to double its portfolio in Africa by the end of 2020. “Africa has always been close to our hearts. We were the early movers on the continent in 2000 when we established our dedicated business development base in Cape Town.


“Today, Africa is our biggest growth market with a fully functional Area Support Office in Cape Town since 2016. We also converted our joint venture company with the four Nordic Government Development agencies, AfriNord, from a mezzanine debt funding facility to a minority equity investment vehicle to support our strategy and owners.”

Rezidor first entered Africa in 2000 when it opened its first Radisson Blu in Cape Town. Today Carlson Rezidor’s footprint in Africa has grown to include 69 hotels open and under development in 28 countries, incorporating more than 15,000 rooms.

Neumann says in the past 24 months Carlson Rezidor has signed a new hotel deal in Africa every 37 days. “Of course, we are aware that it is not just about signing. It’s really about delivering the pipeline. We have opened a new hotel in Africa every 60 days over the past two years. This year, we have already opened six Radisson Blu hotels and expect to open a Park Inn by Radisson in South Africa in the next six months. We intend to keep up this momentum of signings followed by successful openings.”

The six hotels opened in 2016 include Radisson Blu hotels in Nairobi, Kenya; Marrakech, Morocco; Maputo, Mozambique (first residence in Africa); Abidjan, Ivory Coast (first airport hotel), Lomé, Togo; and the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda, East Africa’s largest convention centre and host to the 2016 Africa Hotel Investment Forum.

Carlson Rezidor Senior Vice President Business Development Africa & Indian Ocean Andrew McLachlan, says Radisson Blu leads the way with more hotel rooms under development than any of the other 85-plus hotel brands active in Africa today, according to the W-Hospitality Report. “Our ambition is to be the leading player in the travel and tourism sector across the continent.”

Exciting new developments on the cards for Carlson Rezidor in Africa include the signing of the first Radisson RED, which is expected to open in Cape Town in the course of 2017, as well as the signing of the first Quorvus Collection to be built in Lagos, Nigeria, expected to open in 2019.

Carlson Rezidor aims to open 15 or more hotels in South Africa and Nigeria alone by the end of 2020, incorporating its full brand portfolio, ranging from the Quorvus Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson RED, and Park Inn by Radisson.

McLachlan says Africa presents an opportunity for Carlson Rezidor to grow its resort portfolio under Radisson Blu and Quorvus Collection in locations such as Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar, East Coast of Kenya and Tanzania and the Cape Verde Islands.

He adds that the challenges experienced in Africa are no different to those experienced in other emerging markets. “Generally-speaking, the owner class in Africa today is typically a local, first-time owner and local professional team with limited or no hotel development experience. This means the learning curve is high and expensive. In addition, there is a high demand for imported products and equipment in many of the markets. To mitigate these risks, we offer hotel turnkey design and build contractors to ensure the owners and their teams have significant support when it comes to delivering each hotel.”

“Water and electricity are the two most expensive running costs in African hotels today and we are constantly looking at ways to design and operate our hotels with a view to saving costs and improving results, as part of our responsible business strategy,” says McLachlan.

Notably, 77% of Carlson Rezidor’s hotels worldwide have been eco-labelled and the hotel group has recorded a 22% energy saving since 2011 and a 29% water saving since 2007 across Europe, the Middle East & Africa. The hotel group is particularly focused on conserving the planet’s scarce water resources and its Blu Planet initiative is aimed at providing safe drinking water for children in disadvantaged areas in partnership with international water aid charity, Just a Drop.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group also partners with IFC, a member of the World Bank Group that focuses on private sector development, to promote the design and construction of green buildings in emerging markets. Through the partnership, Carlson Rezidor will use the EDGE eco-analysis software for all of its future hotel projects in Eastern Europe, the Middle East and Africa. As 40% of the world’s carbon emissions are generated through the construction and operation of buildings, designing green hotels supports the industry’s responsibility to meet COP21 targets.

Expanding its footprint into Africa also means creating employment for the local population in each country, with an emphasis on developing women to leadership positions. “Many hotel jobs do not require tertiary education and present opportunities for locals to be trained and upskilled to fulfil particular roles,” says McLachlan.

TURKEY: Park Inn by Radisson Opens In Ankara,

Park Inn by Radisson today announced the opening of a new 114-bedroom hotel in Ankara, Cankaya.

Operated by The Rezidor Hotel Group, this latest addition to the group’s portfolio is conveniently located in the Eymir Lake district, in the diplomatic heart of the city.

The hotel is perfectly located for the area’s main attractions including the Presidential Palace, international embassies and universities as well as shopping malls. Esenboga International Airport is 30 kilometers from the hotel, and public transport makes it easy for guests to get around the city.

The Rezidor Hotel Group, Area Vice President Middle East & Turkey, Mark Willis, said: “We are committed to expanding in Turkey especially in the mid-market segment. The opening of our second Park Inn by Radisson brand in Turkey demonstrates the growth potential and attractiveness of our highly popular brand, that is designed to add color to life.”

The hotel features 114 spacious guest rooms and suites, each offering utmost comfort, privacy and amenities, including free high-speed, wireless Internet access and smart TV. The hotel’s design elements are unique and include a choice of ceiling colors, headboard with mood lighting and colored shower screen.

The main restaurant serves a selection of Italian, American and Turkish cuisine, as well as a buffet breakfast each morning. Wellbeing is essential to the Park Inn by Radisson guest experience philosophy. The hotel features well-equipped spa and gym facilities and a 20-meter heated indoor pool. Also on offer are six modern meeting rooms with a total combined meeting space of over 1360 sqm that can be adapted to accommodate small meetings or large banquet events.

General Manager Park Inn by Radisson Ankara Cankaya, Ahmet Sezici, said: “With the opening of the Park Inn by Radisson, Ankara Cankaya, we are bringing a hotel experience that is vibrant, colorful, cosy and stylish.

“Guests staying with us can expect an accommodation option that harmonizes traditional Turkish hospitality with the needs of the modern traveler whether travelling for business or leisure.”