Hospitality and Tourism

Hospitality investment platform Kasada Capital Management acquires the largest hospitality complex in Namibia

May 12, 2021May 12, 2021 Frank

NAMIBIA – Sub-Saharan hospitality investment platform Kasada Capital Management, has announced the acquisition of the 414-key Safari Hotels and Conference Centre in Windhoek, Namibia. The transaction will be made through Kasada Hospitality Fund LP and remains subject to approval by the Namibian Competition Commission. The hotel complex is strategically located within ten minutes of Windhoek’s city centre and adjacent to Eros Airport. It consists of the 215-key Safari Court Hotel, the 199-key Safari Hotel and Namibia’s foremost Meetings, Incentives, Conferencing, Exhibitions (MICE) venue, the Safari Court Conference Centre that includes a…

Radisson RED in Rosebank appoints Carly de Jong as General Manager

April 20, 2021April 20, 2021 Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Radisson RED hotel in Rosebank South Africa has appointed Carly de Jong as general manager. The hotel announced that De Jong would be the hotel’s “curator”, as the brand refers to her position. This is the second Radisson RED Hotel on the continent; the first having been opened in Cape Town in 2017. “I’m excited to bring the Radisson RED experience to Johannesburg. As a hotel built on celebrating culture, I could not imagine a better place for us to be situated than in Rosebank, a few…

Marriott International appoints two new executive team members for the EMEA region

April 16, 2021April 16, 2021 Frank

AFRICA – American multinational company Marriott International, has appointed Sandeep Walia as Chief Operating Officer, Middle East and Jerome Briet as Chief Development Officer for Europe, Middle East & Africa. Walia will assume office on July 1, 2021, following the retirement of current COO, Guido De Wilde in March 2021while Briet will take on the role from Carlton Ervin, who was recently appointed as Marriott’s Global Development Officer, International. Walia will be responsible for Marriott International’s 146 operating hotels across the Middle East, as well as Egypt and Turkey, representing 21…

Radisson Hotel Group arrives in Victoria Falls, a UNESCO World Heritage site

April 15, 2021April 15, 2021 Frank

ZAMBIA – Radisson Hotel Group has announce its first resort and third hotel in Zambia, with the signing of Radisson Blu Resort Mosi-oa-Tunya, Livingstone, Zambia. The new signing is due to open by the end of 2022 with the new addition placing the Group firmly on track to achieving its objective of reaching 150 hotels in operation and under development in Africa by 2025. The new unit is nestled on the banks of one of Africa’s longest rivers, the Zambezi, in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park, 5 kilometres south of the historic…

IHG Hotels and Resorts appoints Haitham Mattar as managing director of India and MEA

April 12, 2021April 12, 2021 Frank

AFRICA – IHG Hotels & Resorts , one of the world’s leading hotel companies, has announced the appointment of Haitham Mattar as Managing Director of India, Middle East & Africa (IMEA), effective 18 April 2021. Haitham is a well-known industry veteran in the IMEA region, with over 25 years of experience in hospitality and tourism and an outstanding network across the industry. In his new role with IHG, Haitham will take on a broad leadership agenda to drive IHG’s business in the Middle East, Africa, and the South West Asia…

Waldorf Astoria and Canopy by Hilton to debut in Seychelles in 2023

February 11, 2021February 11, 2021 Frank

SEYCHELLES – Hilton Hotels & Resort has announced the signing of management agreements to bring its iconic luxury brand, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, as well as lifestyle brand, Canopy by Hilton, to the Seychelles. The properties are scheduled to open in 2023 and will build upon an already impressive Hilton portfolio on the Indian Ocean archipelago, in addition to the soon-to-be-opened Mango House Seychelles, LXR Hotels & Resorts. “The Seychelles remains unquestionably one of the world’s most desirable destinations for the discerning traveller. We are proud of the role…

Sun International becomes latest member of Global Hotel Alliance

February 3, 2021 Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Global Hotel Alliance (“GHA”), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, and operator of the award-winning, multi-brand loyalty programme, DISCOVERY, announced that Sun International will become the latest addition to its growing network of over 35 independent brands and 570 hotels in 85 countries. The Johannesburg Stock Exchange listed, Sun International is one of the largest gaming and hospitality groups in South Africa, with the flagship Sun City Resort including The Palace of the Lost City hotel, and leading luxury and lifestyle hotels such as The…

Asset manager Futuregrowth acquires stake in Thebe Tourism Group

January 28, 2021January 28, 2021 Frank

SOUTH AFRICA – Fixed -interest asset manage Futuregrowth Development Equity Fund has acquired a significant stake in Thebe Tourism Group, alongside its senior management. The deal was concluded in December 2020. Although the sector has been one of the hardest hit during COVID-19, the iconic properties owned by Thebe Tourism position it well for the industry’s inevitable recovery from the challenges it has faced. Thebe Tourism was founded in 2001 and the senior management team, Jerry Mabena and Brett Hendricks, have steadily built an A-list portfolio of uniquely South African…

National Bank of Ethiopia approves US$76m stimulus package for hospitality sector

January 25, 2021 Frank

ETHIOPIA – The National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE) approved a new financial stimulus package for the country’s hospitality industry in response to the Covid-19 pandemic that has disrupted the tourism sector for almost a year. The newly approved financial support, which will be provided in the form of loan, is an extension of the US$83.6 million stimulus package which was applicable until November 10, 2020 and approved following the US$167 million financial support request made by hotels. According to industry sources, commercial banks can take as much as US$83.6 million…

Kenya’s competition authority approves Norfolk hotel sale

November 19, 2020November 19, 2020 Frank

KENYA – The Competition Authority of Kenya (CAK) has approved the buyout of Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal stake in the troubled Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Club by Chaudhary Group, which is associated with billionaire Nepalese Binod Chaudhary. The deal, estimated at US$25,6 million, will be the second deal in the region for the Kathmandu-based multinational which also owns Le Relax Hotel in the Indian Ocean island nation of Seychelles. “It is notified that the Competition Authority of Kenya has approved the proposed acquisition of control…