Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is set to grow its presence into three new African markets, with 685 rooms to be completed by 2019, according to Hotelier Middle East.
The Swiss hospitality brand aims to establish a presence in key cities across the Sub-Saharan region, adding three new upscale hotels to its portfolio in Kenya, Nigeria and Cote d’Ivoire, taking its total African properties to 28.
"Sub-Saharan Africa is forecast to be the fastest growing region in the world over the next five years with a projected GDP growth rate of 4.8% from 2014 to 2018, according to research by Deloitte," Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts senior vice president Africa Alan O’Dea said in a statement. "It is therefore crucial we get a strong foothold in this market, which is undergoing a trade and investment boom right now." The new properties, he added, would "capitalise on the economic growth projected across both East and West Africa."
The development plans will begin with the opening of the 223-room Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi in mid-2016, followed by the recently announced 212-room Mövenpick Hotel Abidjan in early 2018 and the 250-room Mövenpick Hotel and Conference Centre Abuja in 2019.
Beyond Africa's Sub-Saharan region, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts is set to open its third property in Morocco, the Mövenpick Hotel Mansour Eddahbi & Palais des Congrès, Marrakech, in mid-2016 and has inked a management deal for a third hotel in neighbouring Tunisia - the Mövenpick Hotel Les Berges du Lac Tunis, scheduled for completion in 2016. The company's African portfolio currently covers five countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, Morocco, and Ghana.