IHG partners with Msafiri to expand its hotel portfolio across Africa

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Holiday Inn Nairobi Two Rivers Mall and The Fairview Nairobi in Kenya and Crowne Plaza Dar es Salaam in Tanzania are now open. Across each property, IHG Hotels & Resorts and Msafiri Limited will elevate the guest experience by completing renovations and enhancements, incorporating brand hallmarks and standards.

"Africa’s hospitality and tourism industry has weathered the disruption of the past two years, with a rising number of inbound travellers, highlighting how much potential the region has," comments Haitham Mattar, managing director, India, Middle East & Africa at IHG.

"Our expansion across Kenya and Tanzania is a testament to how IHG Hotels & Resorts is encouraging this potential and meeting the returning demand quickly. We are delighted to have these properties join the IHG family and are excited to offer our guests the exceptional hospitality that we are known for."

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He further adds: "Ownership that includes Actis and Westmont Hospitality is an important partnership to IHG We are pleased to grow together in the region and to bring exceptional properties and hospitality to guests visiting these two important gateway cities."

A representative on behalf of the ownership says: "We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with IHG and expand our portfolio together into new markets and different brands. Africa has tremendous MICE, business and leisure growth potential. Franchising with IHG at a time when travellers are increasingly purchasing branded offers on the continent also makes sense.

"These three hotels that are joining the IHG platform are very well-located and will offer guests a great place to stay. We expect all three properties to benefit from the strength and scale of IHG’s global systems, technology and strong loyalty programme”

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Funke Okubadejo, director real estate, Actis, comments: "We are excited to establish a relationship with IHG, through our joint venture with Westmont Hospitality and this continues our track record of investing in exciting real estate opportunities across key locations in Africa."

Holiday Inn Nairobi Two Rivers Mall

The hotel, which boasts 171 rooms, is located in the Gigiri/Runda district, in northern Nairobi. Holiday Inn Nairobi Two Rivers is within the 100-acre Two Rivers Mall & Entertainment complex offering guests access to over 200 shops, the city’s theme park and an array of family fun activities, such as go-karting and the skate park.

The hotel offers modern facilities, meeting rooms, a gym, a swimming pool and an all-day dining terrace.

Fairview, Nairobi, Kenya

The Fairview Hotel, located in Upper Hill Nairobi, is one of the city’s landmark addresses. The Fairview was converted from a 1920s manor house in 1932 and has been an established destination amongst discerning travellers, domestic and international.

The property will be undergoing a sensitive refurbishment before operating under one of IHG’s boutique brands.

The new ownership’s investment at Fairview is anticipated to have a positive social, environmental and economic impact.

The Fairview team is engaging in new skills training, and greater social awareness has been incorporated into how the hotel operates within its local environment.

Following the refurbishment, the team also hopes to achieve a material reduction in the property’s energy consumption.

Crowne Plaza, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Located within the central business district of Dar es Salaam, Crowne Plaza Dar es Salaam offers 148 bedrooms, an all-day dining restaurant, a bar, meeting rooms, a modern gym and a swimming pool. Additionally, the property is conveniently located just one km from the city centre and 11km from Julius Nyerere International Airport, making it an attractive option for international and regional travellers.

IHG currently operates 28 hotels across five brands in Africa, including InterContinental, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express and voco, with a further 22 hotels in the development pipeline due to open within the next three to five years.