Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide plans to expand in South Africa and is eyeing African frontier markets for future growth, reports said.
Starwood whose portfolio includes Le Meridien, Westin, W Hotels, Sheraton and others, faces stiff competition in South Africa, especially after operators added rooms for the country’s hosting of the soccer World Cup, which ended this month.
Starwood would like to see two to three newly constructed hotels under management in Cape Town and another three to four in Johannesburg in the medium term.
Starwood was also looking to expand in East Africa, specifically in regional economic power Kenya, and Tanzania, where it was eyeing game park-themed hotels.
Angola, one of Africa’s top oil producers, was a key future destination, although the soaring property prices in capital Luanda, remained a challenge for operators and investors.
Starwood reported a higher-than-expected profit last week and said the rebound in business demand should allow the hotelier to command higher room rates this year.
