Two Thai hotel chains strengthen presence in Africa
Minor Hotel Group and Dusit International have increased their presence in Africa, aiming to prove that they are ready to spread their wings into any territory.
After the launch of the Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo in Egypt in 2009, Dusit International last month held the grand opening for its dusitD2 Nairobi in Kenya. The hotel was developed by Cape Hotels.
"This is such an exciting moment, and we are thrilled to witness the grand opening of the dusitD2 Nairobi," said Chanin Donavanik, Dusit International managing director and chief executive officer.
"This hotel, being the first in Kenya to be managed by an Asian operator, serves as a great example of a collaboration between two companies sharing one vision. I would like to congratulate my partners on this significant achievement, and we look forward to a long and successful business relationship in years to come. This is only the first of many projects for Dusit in sub-Saharan Africa, as we look to solidify our presence on the continent."
Snehal Sanghrajka, a director of Cape Hotels, believes that the property has raised the standard of the local hospitality scene and set a new benchmark for quality, service and innovation.
"Partnering with Dusit and melding their iconic brand of gracious Thai hospitality with our Kenyan style and creativity has really been a key differentiator for us, and we are delighted to collaborate with Dusit on this project."
Last week, Minor Hotel Group, which currently has a portfolio of 126 hotels and resorts in 22 countries, entered a partnership with Qatari Diar Real Estate Investment Company to develop two new Anantara resorts in North Africa, to open in 2017.
The two properties are Anantara Tozeur Resort – a new luxury property being developed by Qatari Diar in the southwest of Tunisia, in the city of Tozeur – and Anantara Al Houara Tangier Resort in northern Morocco.
"Our Anantara brand is now well established in the Middle East, with six properties in the UAE [United Arab Emirates] and our first resort in Qatar opened earlier this year, and we are keen to add North Africa to our footprint, where these two new resorts will help further develop luxury tourism within these destinations," said Dillip Rajakarier, chief executive officer of Minor Hotel Group.
"We are looking forward to a strong alliance with Qatari Diar going forward, with scope to explore additional opportunities to expand our portfolio in the wider MENA region," he said, referring to the Middle East and North Africa.
Speaking about the agreement, Khaled Mohammed Al Sayed, group chief executive officer of Qatari Diar, said: "Qatari Diar is building signature projects and facilitating vibrant new communities on an unprecedented scale. Our projects are significant, landmark projects that are often unrivalled in size, scope, and vision.
"We aim at creating distinguished developments not only in Qatar but around the world, and our partnership today with MHG, one of the largest hospitality and leisure companies in the Asia-Pacific region, goes in the same direction."
