HYATT HOTELS COMMIT TO TWO MORE HOTELS IN ARUSHA AND ZANZIBAR
(Posted 09th October 2013)
Hyatt Hotels have confirmed their interest to put up two more hotels in Tanzania, in partnership with ASB Holdings, over the space of the next year.
One of the new properties will be located in East Africa’s safari capital of Arusha, where the group aims at a 144 rooms and suites hotel in the centre of Arusha. The other property will, subject to regulatory approvals, be located in the old stone town of Zanzibar, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, where special requirements vis a vis architecture and blending into the existing texture of the area must be met, as Serena Hotels did when they converted several large sea front residences to create the Zanzibar Serena Inn. The Hyatt property in the old stone town will reportedly comprise some 72 rooms and suites when ready.
One Peter Norman, Senior Vice President for Hyatt in Europe, Africa and the Middle East in charge of real estate developments, was quoted to this correspondent to have said when making the announcement: ‘We are thrilled to expand Hyatt’s presence in Tanzania, one of the premier tourism destinations in Africa. We are confident that the company’s experience in developing world-class hotels will help us drive preference for the Hyatt brand in Tanzania’.
Following the recent 2nd African Hotel Investment Conference in Nairobi / Kenya, have several major global chains expressed their interest in further investments in the wider Eastern African region, including Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania and even South Sudan appears set to get their first major operator with Rotana coming in to be part of a new hotel development. Good news for Tanzania’s tourism industry as such quality operations are only adding to the destination’s appeal and will aid marketing efforts by the Tanzania Tourist Board. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from Eastern Africa’s vibrant hospitality sector.
