Kurt Ritter receives special recognition award at Hospitality Investment Conference
Kurt Ritter, Rezidor’s President & CEO, has received the Special Recognition Award at Hospitality Investment Conference Africa (HICA). Mmatšatši Marobe, conference organizer and CEO of Tourism Business Council of South Africa, honoured Rezidor’s “pioneering spirit” and ambitious business development in Africa ahead of the international competition. “In 1999, Kurt Ritter had a clear vision and recognized the potential of the African continent. His success speaks for its own”, said Marobe.
“I am very touched by this recognition. Africa is not only one of Rezidor’s focus areas for future business development, but also a region with a unique culture and warm hospitality which is close to my heart”, said Kurt Ritter.
The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hospitality companies worldwide, came to Africa 11 years ago with the opening of the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town – the basis for remarkable achievements: With 36 hotels and more than 8,000 rooms in operation and under development, Rezidor is today one of the leading international hotel operators in Africa. In Sub-Saharan Africa the group even features the largest pipeline of properties under development.
“Africa is an exciting young and emerging market with an imbalance of supply and demand when it comes to internationally branded hotel rooms. The continent has huge oil and mineral resources, evolves continuously – for example on the fields of infrastructure and telecommunication – and offers a considerable potential for a profitable growth through management contracts”, commented Ritter.
Rezidor grows both of its core brands on the African continent: The upper upscale Radisson Blu opens markets via openings in capital cities; the mid market Park Inn follows and is also clustered in major economical hubs. On the occasion of HICA, Rezidor announced two new projects under development – the Park Inn Cape Town Foreshore (opening in Q4 2011) and the Radisson Blu Safari Resort Kruger Park (Q2 2013). Further future openings include Radisson Blu hotels in Maputo/Mozambique, Addis Ababa/Ethiopia and Lusaka/Zambia as well as Park Inn hotels in Tete, Lagos and Abuja/Nigeria. In all destinations, green building concepts and a sustainable business are of highest importance for Rezidor.
On the African continent Rezidor has also taken a new strategic initiative and created a Joint Venture with four Nordic Government Funds (“Afrinord”), and was the first international hotel company to cooperate with a Black Empowered Enterprise on the South African market: A Joint Venture with the powerful “Mvelaphanda” was signed in 2010.
