Africa Hotel Investment Forum (ahif) Podcast

In this AHIF podcast episode, Matthew Weihs sits down with Wesam Okasha, Managing Director of TUI Blue, to delve into the brand's remarkable journey since its establishment in 2016. Okasha sheds light on TUI Blue's ambitious growth targets, surpassing expectations by opening 97 hotels in their initial three years. He discusses their strategic expansion into new markets, including Africa and Asia, highlighting their innovative approach to delivering authentic holiday experiences. Furthermore, Okasha emphasizes TUI Blue's unwavering commitment to sustainability, detailing their initiatives to reduce environmental impact and promote eco-friendly practices across their properties. The conversation also touches upon TUI Blue's upcoming luxury property in Zanzibar, offering a glimpse into its unique offerings and contribution to the evolving hospitality landscape.

Discussion with Wytze van den Berk, VP of International Operations for BWH, highlighting BWH's growth post-acquisition of World Hotels, expansion plans in Africa, diverse brand portfolio, and opportunities and challenges in the African market.

In the latest episode of the AHIF podcast, Matthew Weihs and Trevor Ward delve into the intricacies of Africa's hospitality market. With a focus on the annual Hotel Chain Development in Africa pipeline report, they explore the challenges, trends, and opportunities shaping the continent's hotel industry. From the surge in resort developments to the impact of currency devaluation on project viability, this conversation offers valuable insights for investors and industry players alike.

In this episode of the AHIF podcast, Rahul Chaudhary, MD and CEO of CG Corp Global and CG Hospitality Holdings, shares insights on the remarkable growth and strategic ventures of CG Global over the past two years. From expanding into emerging markets like Nepal and Sri Lanka to venturing into the automobile industry, Rahul highlights the group's dynamic approach to investment. Furthermore, he emphasizes the significance of wellness tourism and the group's plans for expansion in this sector.

In this episode of the AHIF podcast, Michael Aldridge, the Founder and CEO of Kofisi, shares profound insights into the dynamic world of shared workspaces. The conversation unfolds the strategic growth of Kofisi, fueled by a unique blend of hospitality and co-working principles. Aldridge sheds light on the sustainability practices embedded within Kofisi's operations and highlights the pivotal role of technology in enhancing the workspace experience. The discussion moves onto Kofisi's expansion strategy in Africa, exploring the untapped potential of the shared workspace sector on the continent. With a focus on well-being and service standards, Aldridge provides a comprehensive view of the evolving trends in the workspace industry. 

Thomas Emanuel, Senior Director at STR, shares invaluable insights in this insightful podcast. The episode examines the recovery dynamics of the continent's diverse markets, presenting key statistics that underscore the robust resurgence of Africa's hotel industry. From dissecting occupancy and average rates trends to spotlighting exceptional performances in cities such as Lagos, Addis Ababa, and Nairobi, the discussion offers a nuanced perspective. Gain strategic insights into the interplay of domestic and international demand, the pivotal role of connectivity, and the promising trajectories of pivotal markets. This podcast serves as an invaluable resource, providing a panoramic view of the nuanced nuances shaping Africa's hospitality renaissance.    

Dive into the world of hospitality investment in Africa with Matthew Weihs on the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum podcast. In this episode, he interviews Barney Haddad, the Managing Director of Aleph Hospitality. Discover how Aleph Hospitality operates as a third-party white label hotel operator, providing flexible management services for hotel owners across Africa. Explore the unique challenges and benefits of their model, including flexibility, shorter contractual terms, and street-smart management that leads to higher profitability. Learn about Aleph Cares, their sustainability and social responsibility program, and how they engage with local communities in Africa.

Maya Ziadeh, the Chief Development Officer for premium midscale and economy brands in the Middle East, Africa, and Turkey at Accor discussed Accor's strategy for the African hospitality investment market, their portfolio of brands, and their priorities for growth in Africa in our AHIF podcast series,  Maya highlighted the potential for hotel investment in Africa, with its young and fast-growing population, and urbanization happening faster than any other continent. Accor was one of the first movers in Africa, and they continue to focus on expanding their network in key cities and growing their brands in tier two and tier three cities, especially with franchise partners.

TUI Blue is not just another hotel operator, but a socially responsible company that invests in people and communities. In a recent AHIF podcast episode, tHead of Global Development and Managing Director, TUI Hotels & Resorts discussed their journey, development opportunities, and pipeline in Africa. TUI Blue's social corporate responsibility is at the heart of their business model, and they have created the TUI Care Foundation to contribute to sustainable tourism and hospitality.

Thomas discusses the data solutions provided by STR, which collects data from over 78,000 hotels worldwide on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The company provides benchmarking analysis to help clients understand their competitive position in the market and their direct competitors. They offer a range of key performance indicators, including occupancy, average rate, and revenue per available room, as well as segmentation data and business on the books.

Discover the Affordable Lifestyle in Africa's Hospitality Industry. Join us on the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum podcast as we dive into the latest episode featuring Paul Bridger, CEO of Rove Hotels, and Mark Dunford, CEO of Knight Frank. Learn about Rove Hotels, an affordable lifestyle brand bringing quality design and service without compromising on price. Explore the potential for affordable lifestyle in Africa, the demand for leisure properties, and Rove Hotels' expansion plans on the continent. Don't miss this insightful discussion on the hospitality and airport real estate sectors. Tune in now!

Investing in the African Hospitality Industry: Challenges and Opportunities Are you looking to invest in the hospitality industry? Have you considered Africa as a potential market? In a recent podcast episode, Halla Matar Choufany, President of HVS in Middle East, Africa, and Asia, shared her insights on the challenges and opportunities in the African hospitality industry. Choufany highlighted the diverse markets in Africa, each at different stages of development. However, she sees potential in conducting feasibility studies to identify sustainable schemes that tie into the bigger picture of tourism infrastructure. Connectivity, financing, safety, and mindset are some of the challenges facing the African market, but changing the mindset around the difficulties of doing business in Africa could lead to finding solutions. Despite the economic slowdown, there is a migration of money into the Middle East and Africa, making it a good time to invest in Africa as the cost to acquire certain assets is lower compare

Best Western's Strategic Approach to Growth and Expansion in Africa and Beyond Best Western Hotel Group's recent acquisition of World Hotels and expansion into the luxury market is a reflection of their CEO's global growth strategy. With a goal of having 80 hotels in Africa by 2026, Best Western is actively working with existing hoteliers and owners to rebrand and expand their footprint on the continent. Wytze Van Den Berg, the Vice President EMEA, explains how Best Western has integrated the World Hotels team into their own, adding experienced professionals in the upper upscale and luxury segments to their team. Best Western will continue to use all of their brand names for consumer marketing purposes, but for B2B sales, they will reach out to clients as BWH Hotels. In addition to growth and expansion, Wytze also highlights the importance of cost savings and competitiveness in the industry. Rising labor, energy, and construction costs make it increasingly important to collectively source materials for constr

Welcome to the AHIF podcast featuring Stephan Sebah, VP of Development at Golden Tulip, as we delve into Africa's hospitality investment landscape. Gain valuable insights from his 20 years in the financial market, specializing in analysis, risk management, and investment strategies. Discover how his expertise seamlessly transitions into the hospitality industry, bridging the gap between investors and the sector. Stephan shares exciting updates about Golden Tulip, currently operating 11 hotels with 900 rooms across East Africa and the West Coast. Explore their ambitious growth plans, including four upcoming hotel constructions and discussions for potential partnerships in the pipeline. With a focus on local sourcing, sustainability, and empowering local communities, Golden Tulip is shaping the future of hospitality in Africa. Join us for an engaging discussion at AHIF, where we'll dive deep into topics like regional sourcing, sustainable practices, and the economic impact of the hospitality sector. Don't miss

Rishabh Thapar, Director at HVS Middle East and Africa, specializes in hotel realty development in emerging markets. With 15 years of experience across operations, development, pre-opening, and consulting, he has worked in diverse hotel markets in over 30 countries. He has undertaken individual and portfolio valuations, operator searches and management contract negotiations, market studies, strategic and transaction advisory for some of the leading hotel companies. Listen to Rishab in this insightful podcast as he talks about the emerging trends of conservation & climate awareness in the African hospitality sector. Hie gives an indepth analysis on how hotel chains have hotel chains have shifted their focus in favor of engaging the local community. He also highlights key leisure investment opportunities in East & South Africa.

CG Corp is a multinational conglomerate with  150+ hotels in 12 different countries. The group has a strong presence in East Africa and is constanly looking to expand into other parts of the contient.  Listen to Rahul Chaudhary, Managing Director & CEO of CG Corp Global as he discusses his strategy for Africa and outlines the four key pre-requisites that must be present in any country while looking to invest. Rahul also outlines the challenges that need to be addressed in facilitatiing international investment in Africa. 

The Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) podcast met up with Billy Cheung, Chairman of Century Park Hotel & Residencies – a new development in the heart of Kigali, Rwanda.  We talked about how he discovered the potential of both the African market and the opportunity to diversify his traditional business into the hospitality sector.  Billy gave AHIF more details of the project and details of his needs going forward.   

Announcing that the Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) is, after a two year break with COVID, planning on bringing the investment community back to Sub-Saharan Africa Matthew Weihs, Managing Director or the Bench, spoke to Ramsay Rankoussi Vice President of Africa and Turkey at Radisson Hotel Group. We asked him about the past year which has been a successful one for the operator and what his expectations of the market in the coming 12 months, what changes to strategy they have had since COVID and where they will be focusing for future development.

In this AHIF podcast we spoke with Mark Willis, CEO of Turkey, India, Middle East and Africa at Accor. Sharing his new year’s resolutions with us we also took the time to look back at 2021 and the learnings taken from this turbulent period as well as exploring where he sees opportunities in the MEA region.