Africa’s hotel pipeline continues to grow with several new hotel deals signed in recent months.
Africa is proving to be a lucrative destination for hotel groups, with a number of new deals added to the continent’s pipeline by several hotel heavyweights.
Dubai-based Livit Hospitality Management will make an entry into Africa with the development of Cove Beach Hotel & Resort in Cotonou, Benin. The property is Cove Beach’s first permanent international location and will feature bungalows, private villas and a deluxe beach club. It will also include a Japanese fine-dining Japanese restaurant, steakhouse and nightclub, as well as retail space and a ballroom with a capacity of 700 pax. Cove Beach Benin will open its doors in 2022.
“In launching Cove Beach Benin, we set out to bring Dubai’s exuberance to residents and visitors of Cotonou, delicately balancing the very best in excitement and relaxation to elevate the city’s hospitality offering and put it on the map as a must-visit destination in West Africa… Cove Beach Hotel & Resort, Benin, not only marks a significant milestone as Cove Beach’s first permanent international venue, but it is also the brand’s first venue into a 360-degree, full-service hospitality offering,” says Charlie Weaving, managing Partner at Livit Hospitality.
Desirable Djibouti
During this past week, it was announced that the Radisson Hotel Group (RHG) signed a deal to open a 144-room hotel in Djibouti City in 2024. The hotel will be located in the city centre, 15 minutes away from the Djibouti-Ambouli International Airport. The signing of the Radisson Hotel Djibouti marks RHG’s entry into the country and brings its regional portfolio in East Africa to 18 hotels across more than 2 700 rooms.
“We are delighted to mark our entry into Djibouti with Radisson, currently our fastest-growing upscale brand in Africa. With its existing limited branded hotel supply, we are confident that Radisson Hotel Djibouti will be the country’s leading internationally branded hotel. Along with our partners, Salaam Properties, we are proud to be contributing to the Djibouti Vision 2035 strategy for economic diversification which relies strongly on the growth of the tourism industry,” commented Erwan Garnier, senior director for development in Africa for the Radisson Hotel Group.
Meanwhile, towards the end of last year, Accor Hotels signed an agreement with Kamaj Investments to debut three of its brands across three new properties in Djibouti. The Pullman Living, Novotel and MGallery hotels will open between 2022 and 2023 and add to Djibouti’s accommodation offerings.
“We understand there is an enormous need for new hotel investment in Djibouti and Accor’s knowledge and expertise as a global hospitality leader will help us achieve our objectives,” noted Houssein Mahamdoud Robleh, founder of Kamaj Investments.
Djibouti is located at the centre of one of the world’s key shipping routes that link Europe, the Far East, the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf.
Other hotel deals
TOPHOTELPROJECTS has noted similar trends in its research, highlighting that Africa currently has 290 hotels in the pipeline.
“Currently, 92 hotel projects with 17 132 rooms are slated to complete in the remainder of this year; 21 of these properties are already in the pre-opening phase. 2022 will be similarly busy, with 88 planned launches bringing 19 434 keys into play. Another 40 hotels with 10 113 rooms have been lined up for 2023, while 70 more projects and 16 902 keys are on the books for 2024 and beyond. The split between four- and five-star hotels, incidentally, is pretty much even – 146 for the former and 144 for the latter,” says the research house in its latest report.
This pipeline is concentrated in North Africa, with 89 hotel deals spread across both Egypt and Morocco.
