Radisson announces 2 new hotels in Joburg and Durban – despite Covid-19 devastation
Radisson Hotel Group has announced six new hotel deals in Africa, including two in South Africa, taking its total to almost 100 hotels across 32 African markets.
The announcement comes at a time when South Africa’s travel and tourism industry faces mass job losses, business closures, and and uncertain future as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.
“Our growth has been well balanced between green field projects and strategic take-overs of existing hotels. We aim to further accelerate our presence across the continent through conversions, especially as liquidity remains a critical challenge,” said Ramsay Rankoussi, vice president, development, Africa & Turkey, Radisson Hotel Group.
“We have revisited our brand architecture to enable us to quickly integrate existing hotels to our network. This strategy will be reinforced as our brands continue to demonstrate a better value proposition to our owners.
“Following our revised strategy, we believe we are now geared in providing solutions to the investment community for every type of asset, every segment and at every stage – from funding, to construction and repositioning.”
Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre Johannesburg, O.R. Tambo
Scheduled to open before year end, the hotel will introduce the group’s upscale Radisson brand to Johannesburg.
Located on a private estate in Bredell, Kempton Park, the hotel has easy access to major highways joining Johannesburg and Pretoria and is approximately 10 minutes’ drive away from O.R Tambo International Airport.
The newly built hotel will offer an array of dining options, including four restaurants, three bars an entertainment deck and an executive lounge, the group said.
The hotels 289 modern and timelessly designed rooms comprise of 248 which are newly built and 41 which have been converted from an existing hotel.
In addition, it has a large MICE facility, which includes a conference centre with a 1,260-seater auditorium and five conference rooms. The leisure facilities will include a gym, spa & wellness centre as well as three outdoor pools.
Park Inn by Radisson, Durban Intl. Airport, Dube
The new-build hotel introduces the upper midscale Park Inn by Radisson brand to Durban and strengthens Radisson Hotel Group’s current portfolio of 15 hotels (3,007 rooms) in operation and under development in the country.
It will also complement the national business circuit with a Park Inn by Radisson in each of the three major cities of South Africa (Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg).
It is the first hotel within Dube Trade Port Special Economic Zone, which forms the heart of the first purpose-planned aerotropolis in Africa, around King Shaka International Airport.
The 168-room hotel scheduled to open in 2022, will have a lobby bar, rooftop all-day dining restaurant and rooftop pool terrace with eight different meeting & event venues.
Read: Pay cuts, retrenchments and closures – how hotels, lodges and B&Bs have been hit by the coronavirus lockdown