Mary Dover
South African hotel giant Southern Sun has secured a site for a new hotel in Tanzania as part of the group’s aggressive expansion into Africa.
Southern Sun recently purchased the Lusaka Holiday Inn from the owners of the property, Anglo American, and a new hotel is under construction in Maputo, Mozambique. The 159-room Maputo hotel is situated on a prime site on the beachfront, with 70% of the rooms sea- facing. It is due to open in December and will be aimed at the leisure market.
The new R85-million Holiday Inn in Dar es Salaam, which is due for completion in the middle of next year, brings to seven the number of African countries in which the group now has representation.
Southern Sun also operates hotels in South Africa, Zambia, Kenya and the Seychelles, and has technical service agreements with two hotels at Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe.
The new Tanzanian hotel will be situated on the border of the city’s botanical gardens and within walking distance of the CBD. It will have 152 rooms, 10 executive suites and two suites designed for disabled travellers. The rooms will be equipped with all the latest technology essential for the business traveller.
Southern Sun Hotels MD Helder Pereira says the group is well placed, through investment in the Southern African Development Community countries, to meet both business and tourist demands in the region.
The latest developments make Southern Sun Hotels the largest hotel group in the southern hemisphere and by far the largest hotel operator in Africa – operating 84 hotels, with a total of 14E000 rooms. Its portfolio includes Inter-Continental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza, Southern Sun Resorts, Holiday Inn, Holi-day Inn Garden Court, Holiday Inn Express, Formule 1 and Formule Inn.