Hyatt continues expansion with 3 new hotels in sub-Saharan Africa

US hotel group Hyatt Hotels is furthering its African expansion with three new hotels in sub-Saharan Africa, it announced last week at Expo Real.

This brings the total number of Hyatt-branded hotels that are operational or under development in the region to 11.

A Hyatt affiliate has entered into a management agreement with ASB Holdings for two Hyatt-branded hotels in Tanzania - Park Hyatt Zanzibar and Hyatt Regency Arusha. Park Hyatt Zanzibar will be located on an UNESCO heritage site in the historic part of the city known as Stone Town. It is expected to be completed in time for Tanzania’s Zanzibar Revolution Day in January 2014.

The Hyatt Regency Arusha will be a 144-room hotel occupying a 29 acre-site in central Arusha, in northern Tanzania, and is expected to be completed in 2016. The hotels will join the Hyatt Regency Dar es Salaam, already open in Tanzania, East Africa.

‘Tanzania has seen strong growth in the number of business and leisure tourists - the number of international visitors grew by almost a quarter to surpass one million in 2012, driving demand for hotels in the country. By building a presence throughout Tanzania, Hyatt is able to offer more choices to guests as they travel within the region,’ said Peter Norman, senior vice president of real estate and development, for Hyatt in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

In addition, a Hyatt affiliate has struck a deal with Lacoste & Cie S.A. for a new hotel in Senegal’s capital city, Dakar, marking the hotel chain’s first hotel in the country. It is due to open in 2016. Hyatt currently has more than 200 properties under development across all of its brands, of which half are located in India and China.