Marriott International is in final talks with Pennyroyal Gibraltar for the management of Zanzibar Amber Resort in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The new luxury hotel whose development began this year will be among leading tourist facilities with a world-class golf course. The US$330 million Zanzibar Amber Resort will be one-of-a-kind in sub-Saharan Africa, developers Ritz Carlton said.
President for Marriot Middle East and Africa, the parent company of Ritz Carlton, Alex Kyriakidis, said the hotel will occupy the prime Indian Ocean coastline on the northeast of Zanzibar. The hotel design will combine modern architecture and a touch of Zanzibar style to bring together the unique feeling of Tanzanian hospitality.
Mr Kyriakidis is visiting Zanzibar island to familiarize himself with the project and meet with some of the prominent stakeholders in the island’s tourism industry and the government of Zanzibar.
ÒThis development will be a catalyst for boosting premium tourism to the island of Zanzibar and Tanzania in general,Ó said Mr Kyriakidis.
Zanzibar Amber Resort, a mixed-use project will offer a retail souk, a tropical aqua park, a marina, an equestrian center, and international polo club, along with further hotels, said Mr Kyriakidis. The expansive facility will also feature East Africa’s first signature golf course, he added.
Developers say they are working in close collaboration with local stakeholders, including the government and the Ministry of Environment, to master plan a self-sufficient and sustainably-designed community with energy plants, agriculture, aquaculture, and potentially an airfield in the later stages of the project.
ÒCurrently, the luxury hotel brand Ritz Carlton has only one hotel in Africa located in Cairo, Egypt, and Zanzibar Amber Resort is proud to have the luxury brand in its portfolio,Ó said Mr Kyriakidis.
Saleh Said, the Director of Pennyroyal Gibraltar, said: ÒHaving Ritz Carlton onboard the Amber portfolio will place Zanzibar on the prime tourist charts, which is part of our focus Ð to change the perception of Zanzibar from a backpacking tourist destination to high-end tropical paradise.”
Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational hotel company that manages a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Located off the eastern coast of Tanzania, Zanzibar is a tropical island offering visitors a chance to relax on its pristine beaches or explore its history in ancient trading towns.
Referred to by the locals as ÒUnguja,Ó the island is the biggest in the Zanzibar archipelago. Zanzibar City, the capital of the region, consists of the historic Stone Town. Considered to be the oldest building in Zanzibar City, the Old Fort that was built in the late 17th century to protect the natives from the Portuguese, serves as a venue for the Zanzibar International Film Festival, East Africa’s largest film, music and arts festival.
Nungwi Beach or Paje Beach are Zanzibar’s best places for scuba diving which is a popular activity in the area by its reefs off the island’s coast. Its trigger fish, eels, and even humpback dolphins are best seen in this part of the island.
