Pictured: Erwan Garnier, Senior Director, Development, Africa – Radisson Hotel Group
Radisson Hotel Group has identified West & Central Africa as key markets in its African development strategy, growing its portfolio from one hotel in 2008 to the current portfolio of 25 hotels in operation and under development.
With its robust expansion strategy, the Group is on track to cement its leadership and double its portfolio to 50 hotels by 2025.
Despite the pandemic, West & Central Africa remains a strategic territory for Radisson Hotel Group’s expansion. In 2020, the Group was able to increase its West & Central African portfolio with three new hotel signings, adding over 625 rooms, further reinforcing its presence in key markets such as Nigeria and Mali while entering a new West African market, Ghana.
With conversions at the forefront of the growth strategy for the Group, Radisson Hotel Group was able to open within the same year, further demonstrating the strength and ability of the company to accelerate rebranding and repositioning of existing hotels. Another milestone was the debut of Radisson Collection brand in Africa, with the opening of Radisson Collection Hotel, Bamako in December.
In April this year, the Group launched its first Radisson Individuals property in Africa, with the signing of Earl Heights Suites Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals, in Accra, Ghana, due to open during the first quarter of 2022.
Radisson Individuals is a conversion brand that offers independent hotels and local, regional chains the opportunity to be part of the global Radisson Hotel Group platform, benefit from the Group’s international awareness and experience, with the freedom to maintain their own uniqueness and identity. The pandemic has set a trend of consolidation in the lodging industry, giving individual hotels the opportunity to rebrand their properties, allowing the Group to expand even faster.
“We have identified six countries for growth in West & Central Africa, with a clear strategy to have city scaled growth in the key African capital cities, financial hubs and resort destinations,” comments
Erwan Garnier, Senior Director, Development, Africa at Radisson Hotel Group. “We have also identified eight pro-active cities in West & Central Africa in which we are focusing our efforts for scaled expansion.
“The focus destinations are Abuja, Lagos, Accra, Abidjan, Dakar, Yaoundé, Douala, and Kinshasa. Our development strategy for West and Central Africa, focuses on business hotels, resorts, serviced apartments and mixed-use developments. What sets us apart is our owner-centric approach with dedicated teams and relevant brands with the lowest development cost and access to development solutions, plus our adaptive solutions to meet local needs from compact offering, midscale to luxury, serviced apartments, lean operational model and clustering efficiencies.”
