STAMFORD, CT—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. has signed three new Sheraton hotels, marking the entrance of the company into Mauritania, Guinea and South Sudan by 2017.
With these signings, Starwood is on track to increase its African portfolio by over 30% with more than 15 new hotels set to open over the next five years. This growth will add more than 5,000 guestrooms to the continent.
“Africa is home to many of the world’s fastest growing economies, and there could not be a better time to expand our footprint here,” stated Frits van Paasschen, president and CEO, Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “With increasing stability, vastly improving infrastructure, rapid economic growth and a booming mobile industry, this is Africa’s shining moment and we are committed to being a part of it.”
The signings of Sheraton Nouakchott in Mauritania, Sheraton Conakry in Guinea and Sheraton Juba in South Sudan bring the Sheraton pipeline in Africa to six new hotels, joining three currently in development in Dakar, Senegal; Annaba, Algeria and Tripoli, Libya.
The Sheraton Conakry Hotel is set to open in 2015. Owned by Palma Guinea S.A, the hotel will be IFC green-certified and offer 282 guestrooms, all-day dining and specialty restaurants, a lobby bar as well as an outdoor swimming pool with a bar and grill. It will also feature more than 1,100 sq. m. of meeting and function space, including a ballroom.
The Sheraton Juba Hotel, which will also open in 2015, is owned by Tuscana National Limited. With 235 guestrooms, it will also offer an outdoor swimming pool, restaurant and sports and conference facilities.
The Sheraton Nouakchott Hotel, opening in 2017, is owned by Société Nationale Industrielle et Minière (SNIM). Located in the central business district of Nouakchott, the hotel will be designed with Mauritanian-style architecture and will feature an all-day dining restaurant and a specialty restaurant, a bar, an outdoor pool as well as more than 1,500 sq. m. of meeting space.
Starwood currently operates 37 hotels in 15 African countries, representing more than 10,000 rooms.