Radisson Hotel , Marriott International Hit Gold In Africa, Expand Service Outlets

Radisson Hotel

OpenLife Nigeria reports that Radisson Hotel Group has continued its ambitious growth in Africa with the signing of seven new hotels, adding over 1,400 rooms to its African portfolio.

The new hotels expand the Group’s brands, spanning from upscale to premium luxury lifestyle with a new market entry in Gambia and the introduction of new brands in key markets with the first Radisson Collection in Nigeria and Egypt, the first Radisson RED hotel in Nigeria, and the introduction of the Radisson brand in Kenya.

As one of the fastest-growing hotel companies in Africa, Radisson Hotel Group plans to further strengthen its robust African presence this year beyond signings with at least seven hotel openings and over 1,400 rooms.

These openings include the Group’s first hotel openings in Reunion Island and Ghana and expanding its resort presence in Casablanca and Saidia in Morocco as well as in South Africa, Egypt and Tunisia.

Elie Younes, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Development Officer at Radisson Hotel Group comments: “Thanks to the relevance of our brands and trust of our owners, we have a successful growth momentum in Africa thus far, this year. With the continent remaining a focus market for us, we are committed to further contribute to the African hospitality industry, providing more possibilities to our guests and employment opportunities to the local communities.’’

Speaking at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum in Nairobi, Ramsay Rankoussi, Vice President, Development, Africa & Turkey at Radisson Hotel Group said: “We are thrilled to be maintaining our growth momentum across Africa, bringing our tally of new signings for 2023 so far to seven hotels and over 1,400 rooms.

An even better indication of our growth is the materialization of our pipeline into openings, where we have led consistently the biggest market share for the last 36 months, translating to a commendable 15 percent growth on our African portfolio, year-on-year, placing us well on track to reach our objective of 150 hotels within the next five years from 100 hotels today.

Our rate of materialization and openings is a testament not only to the quality of our pipeline but also reflects our conversion strategy in repositioning existing hotels under one of our brands. We are also proud to further entrench our stance as the operator with the most extensive presence in Africa with once again a new market entry as the only hotel operator.”

The new hotel signings include:

Radisson Collection Resort, Marsa Alam Port Phoenice

Scheduled to open in early 2025, the resort, which introduces Egypt to the Group’s premium lifestyle brand, Radisson Collection, will be situated in Port Phoenice on the Red Sea, a waterfront premier integrated resort community boasting luxury residents, golf estates, water activities, retail centers, hospitals, and schools and easily accessible from Marsa Alam International Airport (only 35 minutes’ drive away).

The resort location makes it an excellent spot for a vacation, with venues for dining, entertainment, boutique shopping, cultural expedition, activities, and lively nightlife located all nearby.

The newly built resort will comprise of 294 rooms, including 20 suites, all carefully curated with a mix of Mediterranean and Italian architecture.

The resort will offer a lobby lounge, one all-day dining restaurant, one high-end specialty restaurant, as well as a stunning beach restaurant, and a beach bar with mesmerizing sea views. The resort will also offer a fitness center, diving center, a theatre, kids club, several pools, and direct access to the beach.

Radisson Collection Hotel & Conference Center, Abuja

The new-build, 249 room hotel will be Abuja’s first luxury hotel and will further expand the Group’s Radisson Collection portfolio in Nigeria as the country’s third Radisson Collection hotel and the premium lifestyle brands debut in Abuja.

The hotel will have an expansive range of rooms, from standard rooms and apartments to lofts and presidential suites. Spanning across almost 3000 square meters, the meeting spaces will consist of a dividable conference hall, five meeting rooms, a board room, as well as a pre-function area.

Located next to the Presidential Palace in Maitama District, one of the most sought after and exclusive areas in Abuja, the hotel will be a 45-minute drive from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, the country’s second busiest airport after Lagos.

In proximity to the hotel is the city’s most popular market, Wuse market, Jabai Boat Club, a water based recreational facility and family entertainment center, and Abuja National Mosque, also known as the Nigerian National Mosque, built in 1984.

Radisson Blu Beach Resort & Spa, Banjul

The new-build, 462 room hotel currently under construction, marks the Group’s debut in Gambia as the first internationally branded hotel in the country.

Scheduled to open early 2025, the resort will be located in the Bijilo region in Banjul, the country’s capital city, spanning over 17 hectares with direct access to the ocean, surrounded by tranquil, picturesque landscapes.

The resort will offer large, contemporary rooms, presidential apartments, and royal villas as well as five food and beverage outlets, including a cocktail bar, an all-day dining restaurant, a specialty restaurant, poolside restaurant and beach bar. Other hotel facilities will include a fitness and wellness center.

The 3,025 square meters meetings and events space with beach access, will consist of a conference hall, 12 meeting rooms, conference room, board rooms, reception, pre-function area and banquet showroom.

Radisson Blu Hotel Abuja CBD

Following the recent signing of Radisson Collection Abuja, is the announcement of the first Radisson Blu hotel in Nigeria’s capital city, the Group’s 10th hotel and 3rd Radisson Blu in Nigeria.

The 104-room hotel, scheduled to open early-2025, will be in Abuja’s Central Business District (CBD), 45 minutes from the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The hotel will have a stylish piano bar and an all-day dining restaurant along with fitness and wellness facilities and 245 square meters of meetings and events space.

Radisson RED Lagos VI

Further expanding the Group’s presence as its 11th hotel in Nigeria and 7th hotel in operation and under development in Lagos, is the highly anticipated debut of the bold and cutting-edge upscale Radisson RED brand in Nigeria.

The new-build, 62 room hotel scheduled to open end-2025 will introduce the country to the renowned Radisson RED brand and its unique food and beverage concepts through its lobby bar, all day dining restaurant and rooftop bar and terrace which in true Radisson RED style will become the most coveted rooftop venue in the country.

Additional facilities will include a gym and pool along with 249 square meters of flexible meetings and events space, consisting of a conference room, a board room and two meeting rooms.

The hotel will be located just over 30 minutes’ drive from Lagos Murtala Muhammed Airport, in Victoria Island, the main business and financial center and one of the most sought-after residential areas in Lagos, which has the highest hotel performance in West Africa due to its financial hub status and size of its economy.

Radisson Hotel Nairobi Airport

The Group’s 4th hotel in Kenya and first Radisson property in the country, is the new build, 200 room Radisson Hotel Nairobi Airport, scheduled to open mid-2027

With proximity to JK International Airport, the property will be easily accessible to tourists as well as business travelers. It is also 22km from Nairobi National Park, the only national park in the world in proximity to the city.

The hotel will have a lobby bar and an all-day dining restaurant as well as extensive facilities including a gym, spa, pool, retail unit and crew lounge. The meetings and events area will consist of a conference room, two meeting rooms, a board room and a business center.

Radisson Hotel Algiers El Mouradia

Marking the Group’s second hotel in the country, complementing the Radisson Hotel, La Baie d’Alger, currently under construction and bolstering the limited internationally branded hotel supply in Algiers is the country’s second Radisson hotel, scheduled to open mid-2026.

Located in the sought after El Mouradia district, known as the home of the Algerian presidency, several ministries and embassies, the 148-room hotel is also in proximity of the city center and Port of Algiers, standing as the main port of Algeria and just 15km west from Algiers International Airport.

With an array of food and beverage outlets, the hotel will include an all-day dining as well as a signature restaurant, a juice bar and sky bar all with flowing terraces and a coffee bar and coworking space, in true Radisson style, providing the balance between work and leisure.

Further enhancing this concept is the meetings and events space which will consist of a ballroom, a conference room and 4-5 meeting rooms and the leisure facilities, comprising of a swimming pool, retail area, spa, hair salon and sport & fitness gym.

In like manner, from the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum in Nairobi, Marriott International also announced five deal signings in Africa under its Protea Hotels by Marriott brand. The signed projects reinforce the company’s commitment to expanding its presence across the continent and highlight the demand for the Protea Hotels by Marriott brand.

“Protea Hotels by Marriott has a long-established legacy in Africa, and we are excited to further strengthen the brand’s footprint in the continent with these five signings,” said Karim Cheltout, Regional Vice President – Development, Africa & All-Inclusive, EMEA at Marriott International. “While we continue to see demand for new build opportunities, the brand is seeing an uptick in conversion projects where developers are looking to rebrand their existing property into a Protea Hotel.”

Protea Hotels by Marriott is a leading hospitality brand in Africa and one of the most widely recognized across the continent. With properties in primary and secondary business centres and desirable leisure destinations, the brand remains a popular choice for travellers into Africa.

In line with brand standards, the five projects will feature modern facilities, proactive and friendly service and consistent amenities such as full-service restaurants, meeting spaces and well-appointed rooms.

Marriott International’s current portfolio in Africa features nearly 140 properties and more than 24,000 rooms across 20 countries and 19 brands.

Protea Hotels by Marriott represent more than 40 percent of Marriott International’s portfolio in Africa with over 60 properties and more than 6,500 rooms in operation across nine countries.

The projects announced during the African Hotel Investment Forum are:

Protea Hotel by Marriott Serowe, Botswana

Marriott International expects to grow its presence in Botswana with the signing of Protea Hotel by Marriott Serowe in collaboration with Letsatsi Partners. Slated to open in 2026, the hotel is anticipated to feature 155 guest rooms and suites, an all-day dining restaurant, fitness centre, swimming pool and multiple meeting rooms. Protea by Marriott Serowe will be situated near the Khama Rhino Sanctuary in Serowe, between Gaborone and Orapa, one of the world’s largest diamond-producing mines.

Protea Hotel by Marriott Bahir Dar, Ethiopia

Protea Hotels by Marriott is expected to make its debut in Ethiopia with the opening of Protea by Marriott Bahir Dar. The conversion deal was signed with Blue Nile Resort Hotels PLC to rebrand its Blue Nile Resort to a Protea Hotel following a full renovation. The property is expected to be rebranded to Protea by Marriott Bahir Dar by 2025 and will offer 127 guest rooms and suites, multiple dining outlets, a fitness centre and nearly 1,000 sqm of meetings and event space. The hotel is situated next to Lake Tana and a short distance from Blue Nile River.

Protea Hotel by Marriott Zanzibar Stone Town, Tanzania

The company signed an agreement with Parklane Holdings Zanzibar Limited to convert its existing property to Protea Hotel by Marriott Zanzibar Stone Town. The project, which is anticipated to open as a Protea Hotel by the end of 2023, is located in Stone Town, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most popular tourist areas in Zanzibar. Plans for Protea by Marriott Zanzibar Stone Town include 26 guestrooms, an all-day dining restaurant and a rooftop bar.

Protea Hotel by Marriott Abuja Jahi, Nigeria

Projected to open in 2027, Protea Hotel by Marriott Abuja Jahi, Nigeria will consist of 144 guestrooms, two food and beverage outlets, a swimming pool and meeting facilities. The hotel will be situated in the developing district of Jahi which is located northwest of Abuja’s city centre and will be close to Gwarinpa and Jabi, two prominent commercial areas. Protea Hotel by Marriott Delta is a franchised property owned by Gold Reef Hotel Limited and will be managed by BON Hospitality West Africa Limited.

Protea Hotel by Marriott Delta, Nigeria

The company signed an agreement with Dutch Gate Hotel & Suites Limited to convert its existing property to Protea Hotel by Marriott Delta. The property is expected to open as a Protea Hotel in 2024 with 108 rooms, four food and beverage outlets, meeting facilities, a fitness centre and swimming pool. Protea Hotel by Marriott Delta, Nigeria will be situated in Warri, a major oil and gas hub in the South region of Nigeria. Protea Hotel by Marriott Delta is a franchised property owned by Dutch Gate Hotel & Suites Limited and will be managed by BON Hospitality West Africa Limited.