Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has announced that it plans to expand its hotels across Africa, doubling the current number.
It plans to open six new hotels by 2020, spanning across four new countries and creating 2,100 new jobs.
Out of the six new builds, four will be market entries: Hyatt Regency Algiers Airport, Algeria; Hyatt Regency Douala, Cameroon; Hyatt Regency Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; and Hyatt Centric Dakar, Senegal.
The two new hotels that are planned within established markets are Park Hyatt Marrakech, Morocco and Hyatt Regency Arusha, Tanzania. Both will become the third Hyatt-branded hotel in each country.
Hyatt also plans to consider countries such as Rwanda, Kenya, Uganda, Mozambique, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire for further opportunities and expansions.
The company has focused its expansion towards East Africa due to the area’s government investments, expanding middle class and recognition of stability. Because of this, Africa has seen an 11% rise in sub-Saharan tourism in the last year.
“The development opportunities for Hyatt in Africa are significant, and we see enormous potential in the region. This expansion reinforces our commitment to developing our pipeline in Africa,” stated Peter Penev, Vice President Acquisitions and Development for Hyatt.
“With the introduction of a Pan-African, visa-free passport next year alongside the continued improvement in the connectivity and growth of the region’s airlines, we expect tourist and business travel will only continue to increase.”
Hyatt’s new hotels will vary from terminally-linked airport hotels to large, 200-room buildings with 1,200 metres squared of event facilities.
Source: African Business Review
