Africa has 524 new chain hotels in the pipeline this year with a total of 92,193 rooms, according to a new report from W Hospitality Group, a Nigeria-based company which specializes in providing hospitality advisory services in Africa.
According to the report, Sub-Saharan Africa will account for 52,059 new hotels, while North Africa will add 40,134.
The largest number of chain hotels to be built in Egypt is 109 with a total of over 26,000 rooms.
Here are the top 10 African countries in terms of new hotel chain units expected to enter service this year:
Hotels | Rooms | Average Size | |
Egypt | 109 | 26,241 | 241 |
Morocco | 52 | 7,169 | 138 |
Nigeria | 50 | 7,622 | 152 |
Ethiopia | 31 | 5,128 | 165 |
Kenya | 31 | 4,268 | 138 |
South Africa | 22 | 3,427 | 156 |
Ghana | 19 | 2,568 | 135 |
Tunisia | 18 | 4,121 | 229 |
Cape Verde | 16 | 5,056 | 316 |
Algeria | 13 | 2,603 | 200 |
"Together, they account for 69% of the total hotels in the survey, and 74% of the rooms," the company said.
It is worth noting that only in three of the top countries - Morocco, Algeria, and Ethiopia - the number of new rooms emerging in 2024 is lower than in the previous year.
When it comes to cities and urban areas in Africa, Greater Cairo in Egypt (14,247) leads the way in terms of rooms opening in 2024, followed by Lagos in Nigeria (3,729) and Boa Vista Island in Cape Verde (3,490).
In total, hotel chains have signed deals to open new hotels in 2024 in 41 African countries, with West Africa (14 countries) leading the way, followed by Southern Africa, 11 countries with pipeline development activity.
A number of African countries have no plans to open new hotel chains this year, including Libya, Comoros, Eswatini, Lesotho, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Burundi, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, and São Tomé e Príncipe. Among them, Burundi, CAR, Eritrea and Somalia have no deals and no existing branded hotel supply.
According to the report, the largest number of chain hotels opening in Africa in 2024 belong to US-based Hilton, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and South Africa's Protea Hotels.