Hilton to invest $50M in African hotel conversions

Hilton is set to invest a total of $50 million over the next five years towards the Hilton Africa Growth Initiative to support the continued expansion of its Sub-Saharan African portfolio.

These funds are intended to support the conversion of around 100 hotels with approximately 20,000 guestrooms in multiple African markets into Hilton branded properties—primarily the flagship Hilton brand, the DoubleTree by Hilton brand and the company’s Curio Collection soft brand.

“The model of converting existing hotels into Hilton branded properties has proved highly successful in a variety of markets and we expect to see great opportunities to convert hotels to Hilton brands through this initiative,” Patrick Fitzgibbon, SVP of development, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Hilton said in a statement. “It enables us to rapidly grow our portfolio and delivers returns for owners by increasing exposure of their business to more international, inter-regional and domestic travelers, and specifically to our 65 million-plus Hilton Honors members, who look to stay with us in our suite of industry-leading brands. We see huge potential here in key cities and airports, as well as allowing us to develop our offering in resorts and safari lodges.

“The range of brands we have at our disposal allows owners the flexibility to pick the right fit for their property,” Fitzgibbon added. “We have already deployed this initiative in the signing of two hotels: our first DoubleTree by Hilton property in Kenya, and our first hotel in Rwanda, and expect to be able to announce further additions before the end of this year.”