National Wire About Nigerians, Nigerian Business and Other Stories
Tayo Olanipekun With Agency Reports
As part of efforts to grow its presence in Africa with new brands, Hilton on Monday announced the opening of Legend Hotel Lagos Airport, Curio Collection by Hilton.
The launch,which is the company’s first Curio Collection by Hilton Hotel in Africa, is a result of Hilton’s strides to more than double in size in the next five years on the continent,according to a statement.
Legend Hotel Lagos Airport is located at Murtala Muhammed International Airport,adjacent to the private jet terminal and with an exclusive immigrations and customs desk for private jet passengers.
“Handpicked to be part of the exclusive collection of one-of-a-kind hotels and resorts celebrated for their individuality, the hotel joins more than 60 Curio Collection hotels around the world,” said the statement.
This is Hilton’s first hotel in Lagos and its second in Nigeria, with an additional seven hotels in its development pipeline for the country.
Speaking ahead of the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) in Nairobi, Hilton’s President and CEO, Chris Nassetta, said: “We continue to innovate in Africa with new brands and products, and we are pleased to introduce our Curio Collection brand here with the opening of Legend Hotel Lagos Airport. As the continent continues to undergo rapid urbanization, with the UN forecasting that the world’s 10 fastest-growing cities will all be in Africa by 2035, this hotel is a part of our strategy to connect guests to key cities and airport locations across the region.”
Hilton is seeing strong demand for its brands across the continent and expects to open eight hotels in total across Africa this year, three of which will fly under the Hilton Garden Inn flag.
The company expects to open at least 16 Hilton Garden Inn hotels in the coming five years, including brand entries in Kampala, Ghana, Malawi, eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) and many other strategic locations across sub-Saharan Africa.
Last year, Hilton launched the Hilton Africa Growth Initiative, which will support the conversion of existing hotels to Hilton brands with an investment of US$50 million over five years.
During that period, Hilton expects to secure 100 conversion opportunities with some 15-20,000 rooms added to its portfolio to meet the growing need for quality branded hotels across the continent.
