Carlson Rezidor has announced the signing of its first Quorvus Collection in Africa. The 244-room luxury Emerald Grand Hotel & Spa will be in Lagos, Nigeria. The Emerald Grand is part of Carlson Rezidor’s accelerated expansion in Africa. The group also signed a new Radisson Blu Hotel Harare, Zimbabwe (245 rooms), a Radisson Blu Hotel in Durban Umhlanga (207 rooms) and a Park Inn by Radisson in Quatre Bornes, the new commercial hub of Mauritius.
Speaking at the opening of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum held recently in Lome Togo, Wolfgang M. Neumann, President and CEO of The Rezidor Hotel Group said, “Africa is Rezidor’s biggest growth market. Our group’s total portfolio comprises 69 hotels in 28 countries, with over 15,000 rooms in operation or under development. Radisson Blu leads the way with more hotel rooms under development than any of the other 85+ hotel brands active in Africa today. Our ambition is to be the leading player in the travel and tourism sector across the continent.”
Already, the group has opened five Radisson Blu hotels in the first six months of this year. They include the Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill in Kenya (271 rooms); Radisson Blu Hotel, Marrakech Carré Eden in Morocco (198 rooms); Radisson Blu Residence with 187 luxury hotel apartments in Maputo, Mozambique (the group’s first residence concept in Africa); Radisson Blu Hotel Abidjan Airport, Ivory Coast (261 rooms) and Radisson Blu Hotel 2 Février in Lomé (320 rooms).
Rezidor’s Executive Vice President & Chief Development Officer, Elie Younes added: “In the last 24 months, we have signed a new hotel deal in Africa every 37 days. And it’s not just about signing hotels; we are delivering our pipeline. We have opened a hotel in Africa every 60 days. In South Africa alone, we now have 14 hotels. In 2016 and beyond, we aim to maintain this great momentum by opening four more hotels in the second half of 2016.”
