MON. 20 MARCH 2023-theGBJournal | Radisson Hotel Group, one of the fastest-growing hotel companies in Africa, plans to strengthen its robust African presence in 2023 further with the opening of eight new hotel already confirmed to date.
The Group aims to reach 150 hotels within the next five years across the continent, reinforcing Africa as a key growth market.
With close to 100 hotels and 16,000 rooms in operation and under development in Africa, Radisson Hotel Group has opened 14 hotels in the region and signed over 25 new hotels, adding more than 4,800 additional rooms to its portfolio in the last two years alone.
This equates to 90 percent of its African pipeline and translates to a commendable 15 percent growth to its African operating portfolio, year-on-year, placing the Group well on track to reach its ambitious expansion goals.
Ramsay Rankoussi, Vice President, Development, Africa & Turkey, Radisson Hotel Group comments: “Over the last two years, we have accelerated our growth timeline locally and reached new record milestones across Africa, thanks to our balanced development strategy, our tailored approach, and our swift response to changing market conditions. As a Group, we have prioritized consolidating our market share in key focus markets and expanding our presence in new territories to cement our leading position as the most geographically diverse hotel company across Africa. Our rate of materialization and openings are testament to the quality of our pipeline and our conversion strategy to reposition existing hotels under one of our Radisson Hotel Group brands. What sets us apart, is our owner-centric approach with dedicated teams and relevant brands that balance the lowest development cost with access to development solutions. Our adaptive solutions are created to meet local needs, resulting in compact, midscale, and luxury hotel offerings as well as serviced apartments with a lean operational model and efficiencies as a result of hotel clusters.”
Key focus markets for the Group’s Africa expansion in 2023 remain Morocco, Nigeria, South Africa, and Egypt, in addition to new markets of interest which include Gambia, Cameroon, Ghana, Tanzania. and the Seychelles – demonstrating a balanced prioritization of Francophone and Anglophone countries. Within these markets, a key priority for Radisson Hotel Group’s development strategy is quick conversions. The Group has successfully reduced the period between its hotel signings and openings from between five and seven years to two to three years, a new record across the region.
The newly opened Radisson Blu Livingstone Mosi-oa-Tunya Resort in Zambia, located close to the renowned Victoria Falls, for example, opened in less than 24 months, while Radisson Blu Hotel & Conference Center Niamey in Niger opened in 12 months, both reflecting the Group’s ability to deliver a fast turnaround and collaboration with the right partners.
Additional hotel openings in 2023 in Africa include the Group’s first hotel in Reunion Island and Ghana and new hotels in Casablanca, Taghazout, and Saidia in Morocco as well as in Hoedspruit (South Africa), Lusaka (Zambia) and Tunis (Tunisia).
Highlights from 2022 included entry into several key new African markets, including three new hotels in Madagascar, making Radisson Hotel Group the largest international operator on the island.
The Group signed its first Radisson-branded hotel in East Africa, Radisson Hotel Addis Ababa Bole Airport and the Radisson Individuals brand was introduced to the continent with the opening of Marina Resort Port Ghalib, a member of Radisson Individuals, in Marsa Allam, Egypt.
The opening of Radisson Blu Hotel, Juba, South Sudan marked the country’s first internationally branded 5-star hotel, while the signing of Radisson Resort Dakar Saly in Senegal continued the brand’s growth strategy locally.
In South Africa, Radisson Hotel Group expanded its portfolio to more than 14 properties with the opening of its latest addition, Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga and upcoming opening of Radisson Safari Hotel, Hoedspruit later this year, the Group’s first Safari resort in the country.
Additionally, the opening of Radisson Hotel Sfax in Tunisia and the rebranding of La Maison Blanche Tunis as a Radisson Individuals property reinforced the Group’s presence in the region. The Group also signed Radisson Collection Marsa Alam, Egypt with 294 rooms and Radisson Hotel Yaounde, Cameroon with 220 rooms – both opening in 2024.
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