How to make a success of hotel investment? In Djibouti, the 177 room Kempinski Hotel was built in just nine months. In Accra, the 100 room Labadi Beach Hotel took a little longer, all of 10 months, but still a record-breaking length of time, that would be the envy of any developer in the west. […]
Kenya’s government has been brought to a standstill and finance minister Amos Kimunya has been forced to resign at news that Nairobi’s showpiece Grand Regency hotel was secretly sold to the Libyan Arab Africa Investment Company at a vastly undervalued price. The hotel was sold without negotiation for an official figure of KSh 2.9 billion […]
Oil and diamonds drive Angola’s economy, and both commodities are experiencing high prices, resulting in GDP growth at exceptional levels – some 20 per cent in 2007. And this translates directly into demand for hotels. Luanda is experiencing occupancies above 90 per cent year round, with bookings required weeks in advance – and even paying […]
Long-dominated by the luxurious Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa is seeing a huge expansion in its hotel stock currently, with at least 1,250 mid-market to upscale new rooms actually under construction, and a further 800 to 1,000 in the planning stages. The Sheraton, and the other branded hotel, the somewhat aged Hilton, are likely to be […]
Long-dominated by the luxurious Sheraton Hotel, Addis Ababa is seeing a huge expansion in its hotel stock currently, with at least 1,250 mid-market to upscale new rooms actually under construction, and a further 800 to 1,000 in the planning stages. The Sheraton, and the other branded hotel, the somewhat aged Hilton, are likely to be […]
It’s an exciting time to be in Africa, and 2008 is going to be even more fun! Never before has there been so much interest in the development of new, internationally branded hotels in sub-Saharan Africa, fuelled most recently by an inflow of finance from the Middle East, as investors there seek new destinations to […]
Tanzania is one of Africa’s rising stars, with economic growth of a healthy 6 to 7 per cent, and a working democracy. Tourism is one of the main drivers of the economy, and the country benefits from its “twin” product of safari and beaches. Both, in my opinion, are the best in East Africa, with […]
Tanzania is one of Africa’s rising stars, with economic growth of a healthy 6 to 7 per cent, and a working democracy. Tourism is one of the main drivers of the economy, and the country benefits from its “twin” product of safari and beaches. Both, in my opinion, are the best in East Africa, with […]
I wrote last month about the “march of the chains” – how for the first time the international hotel companies are devoting serious resources to increasing their presence in Africa. Why? Because their presence here is still woefully inadequate, compared to the coverage they have achieved in most of the rest of the world. And […]
In today’s global village, there is increasing pressure for differentiation.
