Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Shares Insights About Operating in Africa
For the global hospitality industry, Africa has long been a continent of equal parts risk and potential. The same qualities that have made Africa so enticing to hotel owners and operators—its natural beauty, the untapped market, a lower cost of property relative to many other markets—are some of the same that have presented challenges.
Marc Descrozaille knows the dual reality of Africa well. Descrozaille is currently the area vice president for Africa and Indian Ocean with the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the most dynamic and accomplished hotel companies on the planet. According to the group's website, it operates 57 hotels in Africa under several different brands.
Indeed, Descrozaille and the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group have had quite a bit of success developing properties in Africa, more, certainly, than much of their competition. By seeing what Africa could one day become years before many other developers, they've managed to thrive in a region that has long been held back by problems with corruption, infrastructure, and a deficit of properly-trained hospitality industry talent.
In a recent interview with TOPHOTELNEWS, Descrozaille discussed some of what has helped the group succeed, as well as Africa's past, present, and future as it pertains to the global hospitality industry.
Descrozaille painted a picture of Africa as a challenging region that has slowly but steadily begun to improve, in terms of how easy it is for hotel operators to do business there.
"It's not ideal," said Descrozaille. "It's still difficult, but it's better than it used to be."
Of the obstacles holding Africa back, infrastructure is one of the most frustrating, described by Descrozaille as "kind of a chicken and the egg situation." In order to build hotels, Africa needs to have more reliable infrastructure, yet it's difficult for many countries to bolster their infrastructure without more hotels to house workers and developers, or to drive revenue.
Another major challenge for hotel owners in Africa is the continent-wide deficit of trained luxury hotel workers. A key to success in the industry right now—regardless of the market—is building properties that capture a sense of locality, conveying an authentic and unique spirit of the places where they are located. There is a temptation to bring in service industry talents from other parts of the world, but this delegitimizes localization. It's also a short-term solution, one that would not reward countries in Africa for fostering talent.
That's why Descrozaille said that the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is working hard to train and prepare Africans to lead and manage their properties in Africa.
"We want to increase the number of general managers and team leaders coming from the continent," said Descrozaille.
In terms of advice, Descrozaille was hesitant to reveal too many of the strategies that have made his group so successful in the area, lest an intuitive competitor put them to use, but he did reveal some broad strokes of his success.
The Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, he said, has always taken a long-term and patient approach, one that is key to success in on a continent where fortune and timing can make all the difference. They have also remained acutely aware that the countries that make up Africa are diverse, and they need to be treated as such. What works for South Africa may not be the correct approach for countries such as Uganda or Kenya.
"Africa is a huge continent with a lot of diversity in many ways," he said.
Cultivating relationships is also important, because finding contractors and other partners one can trust is key.
And while this all may seem like shop talk or important only to those in business, Descrozaille also emphasized how important a viable and dependable hotel market can be to communities. The right hotels can generate revenue, development and economic opportunities where there were none before. For a continent with many challenges, hotel owners and operators can make a meaningful difference if they focus and succeed in a way that's beneficial to all involved.
"For Carlson Rezidor, our most important growth region is the powerful African continent, where we have the largest pipeline of hotels and rooms under development of all hotel chains. We will continue to drive the momentum which has placed secured our leading position." said Descrozaille.
More information on Hotel Constructions in Africa and International Hotel Chains and Hotel Groups can be found on TOPHOTELPROJECTS, the specialized service provider in the exchange of cutting-edge information in the international hotel industry.
Jule Grass
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