Dubai-based hospitality management company Aleph Hospitality has signed a franchise agreement with Marriott International for the first Four Points by Sheraton in Liberia, one of three new properties Marriott recently announced for Africa.
Located in the capital city of Monrovia, the hotel is due to become the first internationally branded hotel in the country upon opening in 2020.
The property will be adjacent to the United Nations mission and close to a number of government organizations and commercial offices. It will have 111 guestrooms, meeting facilities, an all-day-dining venue, one specialty restaurant, a beach bar and grill and a rooftop bar. The property also will have a gym, a spa, a swimming pool and access to the beach.
The opening of the hotel aims to boost the country’s tourism strategy, which aims to attract 15 million international visitors by 2023.
“With President Weah announcing plans just last month to greatly simplify the visa-entry system and look to develop a national tourism board to drive inbound visitor numbers, Liberia looks set to significantly grow its share of voice in the African tourism industry,” said Bani Haddad, managing director of Aleph Hospitality, which will manage the property. "The increasing number of international guests will bring with them a strong demand for international quality accommodations.”
The hotel, which is owned by Sea Suites Hotel LLC, will be operated by Aleph Hospitality under a third-party management model. While ubiquitous in the U.S. and European hotel industries, this model is in its infancy in Africa.
“By appointing Aleph Hospitality to manage our hotel, we have secured not only one partner but two, with Aleph executing a franchise agreement for the Four Points brand, which would not have been possible if we were managing the hotel ourselves,” said Joe Barbar, president of Sea Suites Hotel. “We look forward to the hotel opening and creating history as the first internationally branded hotel in the country.”
Founded in 2015, Aleph Hospitality is an approved operator of major international hotel brands. Another opening this year is the Best Western Plus Nairobi Westlands in Kenya. The company also operates independent hotels such as the 115-room Getfam Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.