Top hotels wake up to Africa growth potential

Industry executives say that as consumer spending stalls in developed markets,more multinationals are betting Africa8217;s growth will eventually translate into meaningful revenue 8212; if they can negotiate the considerable regulatory and infrastructure challenges of doing business there.

InterContinental Hotel Group ,Accor ,Starwood and Rezidor Hotel Group ,the group that operates the Radisson Blu chain,are among those looking to capitalise on the continent8217;s urbanisation and build up its underdeveloped hotel industry.

In the last 48 months we8217;ve added 33 hotels 8212; some already opened and others under development 8212; to the African continent,Andrew McLachlan,Rezidor8217;s vice-president for business development Africa and Indian Ocean islands,told Reuters in an interview in Cape Town,one of the continent8217;s tourism hot spots.

If we don8217;t have any curve balls,we should open another eight hotels in 12 months across five countries,he said,adding that almost all of developments were being undertaken by local owners.

Among the projects planned was a 40 million Radisson Blu upscale hotel in the Mozambican capital of Maputo and a 120-room 300 million rand 42 million lodge in South Africa8217;s Kruger National Park,expected to open in 2013.

When looking for growth it8217;s only natural to look at Africa,which is not as badly affected by a slowdown. There is potential for higher growth for hotels here than in traditional markets,said Martin Jansen van Vuuren,a director at consultancy Grant Thornton Strategic Solutions.

Sub-Saharan Africa8217;s economies are expected to grow at an average of 5.5 percent in 2011 and just under 6 percent in 2012,according to the IMF. While that8217;s still short of China8217;s blistering pace of expansion,it handily outpaces most of the developed world.

The market for higher-end accommodation is woefully underserved on the continent.

We consider that there are a large number of capital cities in this continent where we either have no representation or insufficient,and if you ask me what my objective is for the next five years,it is to begin to redress that imbalance,said Michael Cooper,InterContinental8217;s vice-president development for sub-Saharan Africa.

Encouraged by the economic and political outlook,InterContinental is looking for opportunities in Cape Town,Dar Es Salaam and Addis Ababa as well as Africa8217;s west coast,Cooper said.

IHG is currently building three new luxury InterContinental hotels in Kampala,Luanda and Lagos.

But expansion in the world8217;s poorest continent does not come easy. Many of the hotel developments come up against the ubiquitous challenges of infrastructure constraints,corruption and regulatory hurdles,which combine to cause higher costs and lengthy delays.

In the Angolan capital of Luanda 8212; the world8217;s most expensive city 8212; Rezidor is expecting to import everthing except cement for its flagship Radisson Blu,already delayed for 15 months after local authorities decided to build a road through the site after initial plans were agreed,McLachlan said.

Sometimes,even when you are a city centre hotel,you8217;ve got to design your hotel as if it was on an island with your own water purification,sewage plant,and even generate your own electricity.