The group which operates 288 hotels with more than 59 800 rooms in 47 countries, already has a South African foothold via the superbly positioned first class Radisson Hotel at the waters’ edge on the Atlantic Seaboard of Cape Town and a second hotel under the mid-market Park Inn brand located on Green Market Square, Cape Town.

New landmarks

The new Radisson Sandton, a 283-bedroom hotel, will be situated close to the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Sandton Convention Centre, while the Radisson Port Elizabeth is currently being built on the Summerstand Beachfront with 173 bedrooms. Both are scheduled to open late in 2008.

Both properties will be new landmarks and feature the contemporary and chic Radisson “new breed” style.

They are both luxury hotels and offer sport swimming pools, sundecks, wellness and gym areas, restaurants and bars as well as conference areas, meeting rooms and business centres.

Key to economic growth

Kurt Ritter, President and CEO of The Rezidor Group — which is listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange — comments: “South Africa is an important and growing market for the group’s organic business development and a destination for both business and leisure travelers. The government has prioritised tourism as a key economic sector and international arrivals increase continually. This is expected to continue growing beyond 2010 when SA hosts the Soccer World Cup.”

The Rezidor Hotel Group has such confidence in South Africa and the rest of the continent that it has recently opened a Business Development office in Cape Town and appointed Andrew McLachlan as its director to build on the group’s spectacular success in Europe, the Middle East and Russia in Africa.

McLachlan who has extensive experience in the hotel industry throughout Africa is already assisting potential hotel owners, developers, financiers and other tourism industry professionals: “We have recognised Africa’s growing potential and the drastic lack of hotels in many countries throughout the continent and have developed a suite of services including access to investment funds, to assist in creating more facilities for business and leisure travellers and tourists.”