Marriott and Accor lead Africa Hotel Chain Development

The big chains, Marriott and Accor, are leading the way in African hotel development which overall has more than 75,000 rooms in 401 hotels in the pipeline, according to the 11^th annual survey by W Hospitality Group, acknowledged as the industry’s most authoritative source.

The figures represent a 1.5% decrease in the 2018 pipeline, but still more than 12% ahead of 2017. And data for deals which have been realized show almost 100 hotels opened in Africa in 2017/18 with a total of 16,000 rooms.

The annual African Hotel Chain Development Pipeline survey had a record 43 international and regional hotel contributors covering 54 countries in the North and sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian Ocean islands.

W Hospitality’s Managing Director, Trevor J Ward, said: “The growth of the chains’ presence in Africa is a positive story. This year’s slight decrease is largely due to them “cleaning” their pipeline, deleting deals that they believe are not going to happen.

“So while the 2019 total is slightly down, overall there has been a growth of 51% in total pipeline rooms since 2015, and in that time, North Africa has grown by 58% and sub-Saharan Africa by 47%.”

Full details will be revealed and discussed at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) in Addis Ababa, September 23 – 25, organized by Bench Events. AHIF, the leading conference of its kind, connects business leaders, driving investment in tourism projects, infrastructure, and hotel development across the continent.

Marriott, the world’s largest hotel chain, has the biggest pipeline in Africa, 42% more hotels and 25% more rooms than second-placed Accor. But in absolute terms, Accor beat the pack in 2018, with a net increase of 3,400 rooms in 15 hotels. Hilton and Marriott signed around 2,000 and 3,600 rooms respectively, but saw a net reduction in their pipelines, due to openings and “cleaning”.

Table 6: Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2019 Top 10 Chains by Number of Planned Rooms
Rank by Rooms
		Hotels	Rooms	Change on 2018	Average Size
1	Marriott International	81	16,905	-4.5%	209
2	Accor	57	13,543	34.6%	238
3	Hilton	55	11,209	-2.8%	204
4	Radisson Hotel Group	47	8,974	14.1%	191
5	Meliá Hotels & Resorts	8	2,317	19.7%	290
6	Rotana Hotels	9	2,058	59.8%	229
7	InterContinental Hotels Group	10	1,904	0.7%	190
8	Mangalis Hotel Group	15	1,781	2.0%	119
9	Best Western Hotels & Resorts	18	1,613	-4.9%	90
10	Hyatt International	8	1,507	-14.8%	188

Just over half of the rooms in the African pipeline are currently onsite and under construction, making them much more likely to open than those still “on paper”. Ranking the companies on this basis, Accor heads the list, followed by Radisson, then Hilton and, in 4^th place, Marriott.

Table 13: Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2019 Top 10 Chains by Pipeline Status
		Rooms
Rank	Company	Hotels	Total	Onsite Construction
1	Accor	57	13,543	6,809	50%
2	Radisson Hotel Group	47	8,974	5,943	66%
3	Hilton	55	11,209	5,782	52%
4	Marriott International	81	16,905	5,645	33%
5	Meliá Hotels & Resorts	8	2,317	2,317	100%
6	Best Western Hotels & Resorts	18	1,613	1,468	91%
7	Hyatt International	8	1,507	1,097	73%
8	Onomo Hotels	8	1,103	1,014	92%
9	Wyndham Hotels and Resorts	8	1,324	914	69%
10	Mangalis Hotel Group	15	1,781	897	50%

Trevor Ward said: “There are almost 200 hotels due to open this year and next. We estimate, conservatively, that they will create around 30,000 direct jobs when they open, with some commentators estimating that each wage earner supports five other family members. And indirect and induced employment could total another 150,000 people.”

Chairman of Bench Events, Jonathan Worsley said of the 2019 survey: “It’s only through such knowledge and transparency that participants in the industry can execute its strategic plans for growth. With the huge growth in the number of deals signed by the chains, Africa is today on the agenda of virtually every major hotel company.”