Hilton is looking to dramatically expand its footprint in Africa.
The hotel giant announced Thursday it has dedicated $50 million over the next five years to expand its Sub-Saharan African portfolio as part of the Hilton Africa Growth Initiative.
Hilton is aiming to convert as many as 100 hotels across a slew of African markets.
The 20,000 or so rooms will be transformed into Hilton branded hotels, specifically Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio Collection by Hilton properties.
The latest initiative builds on the expansion plans unveiled by the company last October, which confirmed it hoped to develop more than 80 hotels and resorts in Africa within the next three-to-five years.
"The model of converting existing hotels into Hilton branded properties has proved highly successful in a variety of markets and we expect to see great opportunities to convert hotels to Hilton brands through this initiative," said Hilton's Senior Vice President of Development for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Patrick Fitzgibbon, in a statement.
"It enables us to rapidly grow our portfolio and delivers returns for owners by increasing exposure of their business to more international, inter-regional and domestic travelers, and specifically to our 65 million-plus Hilton Honors members," he added.
"We see huge potential here in key cities and airports, as well as allowing us to develop our offering in resorts and safari lodges."
Fitzgibbon said Hilton already signed two hotels as part of the ambitious initiative, including its first DoubleTree by Hilton property in Kenya and its first hotel in Rwanda.
[READMORE]READ MORE: Hilton Garden Inn Unveils Brand Refresh[/READMORE]
Last year, Hilton also announced plans for the tallest hotel on the continent in the 43-story Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill, which is slated for a 2020 opening.
Additional signings are expected to be announced later this year.
Hilton's competitor, Marriott International, has also outlined expansion efforts in Africa. Last year, Marriott announced it was targeting locations in eight new countries across the Middle East and Africa by 2025.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
