DUBAI, UAE—Following its strategic acquisition of Protea Hotel Group, Marriott International continues to gather momentum with a schedule of 30 property openings across the continent by 2020, nine of which are slated to open by end of 2015.
“The potential of the African market is awe inspiring and only really matched by the extraordinary people and places we encounter every day as our brands puts down roots across the continent,” said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Marriott International Middle East and Africa. “Over the next few years we plan to expand our presence even further from 10 countries to 17 with a capital investment by Marriott’s real estate partners of $1.5 billion across the continent.”
With an eye on the extended stay segment, a new Residence Inn by Marriott Kampala Kololo has just been signed, bringing the total property count under the Protea Hotels and Residence Inn brands in Uganda alone to three. Further openings are scheduled to follow in 2015 across the continent with openings in South Africa, Nigeria and Uganda, as well as Marriott International’s first properties in Ethiopia, Ghana and Rwanda.
Marriott Executive Apartments Addis Ababa, owned by Sunshine Business plc, is slated to be the first property under the extended stay brand to open in Africa, according to Marriott International. With 104 units, located at the financial district, close to the UN Headquarters and Addis Ababa Stadium, Marriott Executive Apartments is designed for the international traveler and executive expat seeking apartment living with hotel services.
By 2020, in Africa, Marriott International is set to go from 120 properties, 14,000 rooms across 10 markets, to 150 properties with 19,000 rooms across 17 markets.
“The fundamental demand generators that drive our industry are alive and well on this continent,” said Kyriakidis. “Marriott International’s investment into this region represents the economic realization for the need for hotels – countries need to invest in infrastructure, accommodation and airports to create jobs to grow the economy.”