The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group plans to open four more hotels in Kenya in the next three years.
The hotel chain, which is headquartered in Brussels, currently operates the Radisson Blu Hotel at Upper Hill in Nairobi which has 271 rooms and suites.
Park Inn and Radisson Blu Residence hotels are under construction in Nairobi and are expected to be open by the end of April and December respectively.
Initially, Park Inn was supposed to open in the fourth quarter of 2013, but the date was postponed several times due to construction delays.
Apart from the two hotels that are expected to open this year, Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group plans to add two more hotels, one in Mombasa and the other in Nairobi.
“We are looking for a space along the Kenya coast for our next project. Our plans are to have a hotel, either in Mombasa or Diani resort town,” said senior vice president, Business Development, Africa and Indian Ocean, Andrew McLachlan.
“In Nairobi, we are planning on setting up our latest brand, the Radisson Red, which targets savvy and young people. We feel that Nairobi is ready for a smart hotel and the market would most definitely understand the casual brand.”
The Red brand, which was introduced two years ago, blends music, art, fashion and technology.
The hotel group sees Kenya as a key target for its hospitality business as it remains a hub for companies setting up operations in the region.
“Nairobi is good for leisure and business. It is also a Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions destination, which drives a lot of business for us,” McLachlan added.
He said Africa was currently Carlson Rezidor’s most important emerging market, adding that the hotel chain aimed to increase its room capacity from the current 16 400 to 23 000 rooms.
