Hilton Garden Inn, Hilton’s globally-recognised mid-scale hotel brand, is celebrating strong growth in Africa with four open properties and an additional 14 in the pipeline just three years after opening its first hotel on the continent in 2016. Many of these properties represent first-in-country openings for Hilton Garden Inn and for the Hilton enterprise as a whole, including Botswana, Zambia and Uganda.
Speaking from Africa’s Travel Indaba, John Greenleaf, global head, Hilton Garden Inn said, “We have positioned Hilton Garden Inn for success in Africa with a prototype developed specifically for the region.”
“This prototype has been curated to meet the expectations of both travellers and owners throughout Africa, while maintaining the brand’s signature light, bright and airy design, as well as the consistent, core guest offerings and amenities that the brand is recognised for around the world,” he added.
Guests may unwind in a relaxing social setting, enjoying handcrafted cocktails, light bites or dinner. The Shop, a 24-hour, grab-and-go retail space, offers an upscale mix of healthy, indulgent and fresh foods, varietal beverages and a self-serve specialty coffee bar.
To date, Hilton Garden Inn has four properties and nearly 800 rooms open in Africa, including:
Morocco: Hilton Garden Inn Tanger City Centre (which opened in March 2016) marked Hilton Garden Inn’s initial entry into Africa.
Kenya: Hilton Garden Inn Nairobi Airport (which opened in February 2018) is Hilton Garden Inn’s first property in Kenya.
Zambia: Hilton Garden Inn Lusaka Society Business Park (which opened in August 2018) is Zambia’s first Hilton hotel.
Botswana: Hilton Garden Inn Gaborone (which opened in February 2019) is Hilton’s first hotel in the country.
“Countries such as Botswana and Uganda are some of the fastest-growing economies in the world, with impressive visitor offerings. The Hilton Garden Inn brand appeals to the rise of middle-class travellers into and across Africa, providing an opportunity for us to open hotels and meet guest demand in key destinations,” said Jan Van Der Putten, vice-president, operations, Africa and Indian Ocean, Hilton.
With 14 hotels in the Africa pipeline, Hilton Garden Inn Kampala in Uganda and Hilton Garden Inn Mbabane in Eswatini are in the pipeline to open this month, as first-in-country properties for both Hilton Garden Inn and the Hilton enterprise.
The pipeline also projects Hilton Garden Inn Windhoek in Namibia to open later this year, another first-in-country for Hilton Garden Inn.
Other African countries in the Hilton Garden Inn pipeline include Malawi, Uganda, Ghana, Egypt, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria and South Africa.
As Hilton Garden Inn expands in Africa, the Hilton enterprise as a whole is also expected to double its footprint across Africa from 44 hotels today to almost 100 over the next several years.