Nairobi — Accor SA will open 60 new hotels in 14 countries in Africa in the next four years, its CEO for Middle East and Africa Mark Willis said.
“Egypt is resurrecting after 10 years of a tough situation,” Willis said in an interview in Nairobi, Kenya. Egypt has overtaken Kenya’s coastal region as the preferred destination for European tourists and investors, he said, and revenue per available Accor room there has risen 20% year on year. The continent has sustained unprecedented rates of economic growth, driven chiefly by sturdy domestic demand, better macroeconomic management and improving political stability.Key markets in Accor’s growth plan include Nigeria, Ethiopia and SA, where it will open 10, seven and three hotels respectively by 2020. Accor has 143 hotels in Africa, 63 of them south of the Sahara, and will promote its Movenpick luxury brand, Willis said.
It may expand through mergers, acquisitions and partnerships on the continent, including in SA, where Accor is already considering several opportunities, Willis said.