Marriott hotels see Accra as its next gold mine

Just 24 days after opening, Accra Marriott hotel is already receiving huge patronage.

Strategically located in the heart of Airport City, a burgeoning urban development, the hotel occupies an enviable location with major city landmarks and experiences within easy reach.

As such it is a great choice for both business as well as leisure travellers.

Speaking to Business Insider Sub Saharan Africa (BISSA) at the company’s property in Accra, general manager at Accra Marriott Hotel, Kenneth Shore said with an increasingly growing middle class, Ghana is one of Africa's greatest success stories.

According to him, the West African country offers investors an attractive and stable business climate which makes the country a great option for business travellers.

"Ghana is also a beautiful and exciting country, a melting pot of many cultures. It is home to a mix of animals species, beaches, mountains, landscapes, and an incredible coastline. Ghana is attractive to travellers from around the world," Mr Shore said.

The Ghanaian capital has seen a rapid influx of new inventory in the last few years with international brands making an entry and redefining the hospitality space.

But how different will Accra Marriott add up?

Kenneth Shore tells BISSA that his outfit will add to the city's maturing hospitality scene, providing facilities and experience that inspires brilliance for all, infused with the renowned hallmark Marriott service.

"Modern designs, new food and beverage concepts and the next level of services have placed Ghana at par with other developing and emerging countries around the world. With today's well-heeled traveller, customer expectations have also undergone a radical change. It is our mission to provide more forward-thinking experiences and aesthetically inspiring spaces that speak to the incentive nature," the general manager of Accra Marriott Hotel said.

Marriott International has been expanding its footprints, particularly in Africa, and Ghana is the latest region to have one of the largest hotel brands in the world.

Although the luxury hospitality brand is strengthening its presence in existing countries, it is still gearing up to foray into new countries like Benin, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Mauritania and Senegal.

The general manager of the Accra Marriott hotel Kenneth Shore says "with a legacy that dates back to over 4 decades of operating hotels in Africa, today we are present in 20 countries on the continent."

Ghana's cultures are quite different from where Marriott International has already operated. How easy will the new luxury brand adjust?

Kenneth explains that while the company may hire a few expats to help open the hotel, the majority of its associates are local hires.

Through our daily interactions with these local hires, we learn and educate ourselves on the local nuances; he added.

The hotel sector in Ghana has remained resilient despite recent global economic challenges. Following the fall in oil prices as well as other commodities on the global market, President Nana Akufo Addo’s government had taken steps to diversify the economy, including promoting the hospitality and tourism sector.

Ghana’s hospitality industry grew 1.2 percent from 2015 to 2016. The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) expects Ghana’s tourism industry to maintain an annual growth rate of 5.1 percent per annum from 2017 through to 2027.