Africa ripe for hotel bonanza
International hotels are expanding at a rapid pace across sub-Saharan Africa, heralding a new era of African investment.
Chris Nassetta, chief executive of Hilton Worldwide, said of the relentless expansion at a press briefing held recently at the Hilton Sandton: "We have a good base [in Africa] with over 30 [hotels] and 19 more in the pipeline. But in another five years we will have more opportunity to expand and build that base. We are here because we think demand is here; growth is strong."
Additional hotels will be built in South Africa, where the group has added a luxury hotel brand, and there will also be new developments in Chad, Sierra Leone and Uganda.
The Hilton is not the only group expanding in the region. One of its main competitors, the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, which operates the brands Radisson Blu and Park Inn by Radisson, is set to build 47 new hotels between 2010 and 2015.
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