Carlson Rezidor holds the largest hotel pipeline in Africa with 30 hotels and 6,300 rooms under development (source: W Hospitality Group, Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2014).
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group develops and operates Radisson Blu in the upper upscale segment and Park Inn by Radisson in the mid-market segment. In early 2014, the group also launched two new brands: Radisson Red for the lifestyle select segment and the Quorvus Collection for the luxury market.
"Africa is an important growth region for Carlson Rezidor. We believe in the great potential of this continent and are committed to becoming a key player in the travel and tourism sector," said Wolfgang M. Neumann, President & CEO of Rezidor.
"Our development strategy is built on asset-light, profitable and sustainable growth with a strong focus on emerging markets. Africa offers excellent opportunities due to its huge natural resources and workforces, improved infrastructure, and a growing middle class. However, the continent still suffers from an imbalance between supply and demand for internationally branded hotels with world-class standards and services, and we want to change that. It is not merely about growing the number of hotels – we aim to be a leading employer in the region. By creating new jobs for local talent and by contributing to the communities where we operate in, we can make a huge difference", added Neumann.
Carlson Rezidor opened its first hotel in Africa in 2000, the Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa. Since then, the group has built up a network of 24 hotels and 5,800 rooms in operation and 30 hotels and 6,300 rooms under development in Africa, and has a Regional Office in Cape Town.
Carlson Rezidor is focused on growing its footprints in sub-Saharan Africa with Radisson Blu in capital cities, financial and economic hubs. Park Inn by Radisson will grow in clusters in three of the 16 economic communities in Africa and into depth of the Nigerian and South African market. Recent flagship openings of the group include the Radisson Blu Hotel, Maputo (Mozambique), the Radisson Blu Hotel, Lusaka (Zambia) and the Park Inn by Radisson Foreshore Hotel Cape Town (South Africa). Most recently Carlson Rezidor also announced the opening of Radisson Blu Mammy Yoko Hotel in Freetown – the first five-star hotel in Sierra Leone. Future openings include Radisson Blu hotels in Nairobi (Kenya) and Kigali (Rwanda) and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in Cape Town (South Africa) and Kigali (Rwanda).
"We aim to establish Radisson Blu as the leading upper upscale brand in the region and to pursue the scaled growth of Park Inn by Radisson in high potential primary and secondary destinations," said Elie Younes, Senior Vice President & Head of Group Development of Rezidor; "Quorvus Collection and Radisson Red will offer additional potential to accelerate our growth in this region and to cover all market segments".
Carlson Rezidor is also committed to continue growing in Nigeria. The group already operates 1 hotel with 170 rooms in the country and has 4 hotels with 700 rooms under development. "Nigeria is one of Africa's powerhouses. It is one of the world's fastest growing economies, and international tourist arrivals are expected to increase by more than 65% in the next decade – we want to be at the forefront to optimize this growth", said Younes.
