KENYA: Radisson Group To Open More Hotels In Kenya

Brussels-based global hotels group, Carlson Rezidor, is set to open an additional four hotels in Kenya in the next three years creating an estimated 1,000 jobs.

Carlson Rezidor currently employs about 400 people at the already operational Radisson Blu outlet in Upper Hill and construction workers at Park Inn, and Residence hotels in Nairobi.

The firm expects to open the upper mid-market Park Inn, and Residence hotels by the end of April and December, respectively.

Park Inn was initially scheduled to welcome its first guests in the fourth quarter of 2013, but the date has been postponed several times.

The hotel group is also eyeing two additional outlets at the coast and Nairobi regions.

We are looking for space along the coast for our next project, and we are looking into having it in Mombasa or Diani beach, said senior Vice President, Business Development, Africa and Indian Ocean, Andrew McLachlan. The RED brand introduced two years ago blends music, art, fashion and technology.

It deviates from the traditional hotel set-up and operations by allowing clients to book through an app, use their phones as keys to access rooms and other gadget to order for services.

In Nairobi, we are planning on setting up our latest brand, the Radisson RED, that targets tech savvy and young people. We feel that the city is ready for a smart hotel and the market would most definitely understand the casual brand, he said.

The firm, which has two hotels under the RED brand and is set to open the third outlet in Cape Town in September, also has interest in bush tourism.

It sees Kenya as a key target for its hospitality business as it remains a hub for companies setting up operations in the region.

Nairobi is an alternative to Johannesburg. The city’s security has improved making it a good place for leisure and business. It is a great Mice - meetings incentives conferences and exhibitions destination which drives a lot of business for us.

Africa is currently our most important emerging market and we are looking to grow to 23,000 rooms from the current 16,400.

Carlson Rezidor was named the fastest-growing hotel company in Africa in a recently published hospitality report.

The group boosts of 75 hotels in 29 countries, where 8,400 rooms in 37 hotels are already operational. The group first entered Africa 16 years ago when it opened the Radisson Blu in Cape Town.

Other brands under the group include the Radisson, Country Inns, Park Plaza and Hotel Missoni.



Tourism Observer

INDIA: Louvre Hotels Group Buys Into Sarovar Hotels, Becomes Largest Hotel Groups In India

Louvre Hotels Group, 2nd largest hotel group in Europe, announces its acquisition of a majority stake in Sarovar Hotels, the largest independent Indian hotel chain in terms of hotels and presence.

The European hotel group continues to rollout its international expansion plans with this, its first investment of size in the Indian subcontinent.

India, with its fast-growing economy, its global tourism potential and a significant under-penetration of branded hotel rooms, represents a new opportunity and a strategic market of more than 1.2 billion inhabitants for the group.

After launching a far-reaching scheme to strengthen its positions in China and South-East Asia, Louvre Hotels Group continues to boost its presence in South Asia, keeping up with the region’s constantly growing leisure and business tourism.

The group has decided to become a majority stakeholder in Sarovar Hotels, an Indian company made up of 75 hotels on the premium, mid-range and budget sectors, through 3 leading brands:

- Sarovar Premiere
- Sarovar Portico
- Hometel

In addition to the above three brands, the group also has two well established F&B brands, The Geoffrey’s Pub and the Oriental Blossom, and manages the lodging and catering facilities of various institutions in India. Furthermore, the group manages 10 hotels under the Radisson, Park Plaza and Park Inn brands.

Sarovar Hotels was founded in 1994 by Anil Madhok, a hotel industry expert on India, Singapore and Sri Lanka markets. It is also run by Ajay K. Bakaya and Mansoor Adil who have built it into a robust and effective hotel platform combining marketing, human resources, operations, management and technical services.

Leveraging its hotel expertise and seasoned management staff, Sarovar has developed significantly over the past 5 years, growing from 4500 to nearly 6000 rooms in over 50 cities. Sarovar has a secured pipeline of over 20 hotels, most of which are due to join the network shortly.

Over the last few years, Sarovar also started to develop its brands outside its boundaries, targeting Africa, and more significantly Eastern Africa, which de facto also strengthens Louvre Hotels Group positioning as the largest hotel group in this part of the world.

This strong and experienced team will continue to provide its expertise and manage the hotels under its brands. Both hotel groups share the desire to continue developing Sarovar Hotels brands.

This powerful platform will also sustain the development of Louvre Hotels Group brand which has been present in the Indian sub-continent since 2007 and currently manages 22 hotels under its Golden Tulip Umbrella brand.

This reconciliation between Louvre Hotels Group and Sarovar Hotels offers unprecedented synergies between strong local brands and the world’s 5th largest hotel group. Respective hotel owners for both groups will benefit immediately from such synergies including local and international management expertise, world-wide distribution, loyalty programs, sales and marketing initiatives, and procurement services.

This deal clearly demonstrates the ambition of Louvre Hotels Group; boosting its development through strategic deals on high potential markets.