Carlson Rezidor Holds Largest Hotel Pipeline in Africa with 6,300 Rooms Under Development

By Gabriel Circiog, Associate Editor

Africa—According to the recently released report from W Hospitality Group, “Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2014,” Carlson Rezidor holds the largest hotel pipeline in Africa. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group opened its first hotel in Africa in 2000, the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel Cape Town, and currently has 30 hotels and 6,300 rooms under development in Africa.

Wolfgang M. Neumann, president and chief executive officer of Rezidor, says: “Africa is an important growth region for Carlson Rezidor. We believe in the great potential of this continent and are committed to becoming a key player in the travel and tourism sector.”

Carlson Rezidor Group in the upper upscale segment develops and operates Radisson Blu and in the mid-market segment, Park Inn by Radisson. In the beginning of 2014 the group also launched two new brands: Radisson Red for the lifestyle select segment and the Quorvus Collection for the luxury market.

Since 2000 the group has built a network of 24 operational hotels and 5,800 rooms in Africa and has its regional office in Cape Town. Currently Carlson Rezidor is focused on expanding its footprints in sub-Saharan Africa with Radisson Blu in capital cities, financial and economic hubs. Park Inn by Radison is set to grow in clusters in three of the 16 economic communities in Africa and in the Nigerian and South African market.

“We aim to establish Radisson Blu as the leading upper upscale brand in the region and to pursue the scaled growth of Park Inn by Radisson in high potential primary and secondary destinations,” says Elie Younes, senior vice president and head of Group Development of Rezidor. “Quorvus Collection and Radisson Red will offer additional potential to accelerate our growth in this region and to cover all market segments.”

Talking about the Nigerian market, Younes said: “Nigeria is one of Africa’s powerhouses. It is one of the world’s fastest growing economies, and international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by more than 65 percent in the next decade–we want to be at the forefront to optimize this growth.” The group has one hotel with 170 rooms in the country and four hotels with 700 rooms under development.