Global hotel group renews its commitment to developing African tourism

In further good news for the growing African travel and tourism sector, US-based BWH Hotels group has announced its renewed commitment to the African continent as it prepares to participate in the upcoming Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Africa, taking place from 31 March in Nairobi. 

BWH Hotels is an umbrella organisation for three main hotel brands: Best Western Hotels & Resorts, WorldHotels Collection and SureStay Hotels. It operates approximately 4,300 hotels in over 100 countries. 

Its strategic expansion strategy for Africa includes four new hotel openings planned for 2026. Two of the properties are in Nigeria, one in Ethiopia and one in Tanzania.  

The company highlights Ethiopia, Tanzania, Egypt and Morocco as markets showing strong potential. North Africa, in particular, has development momentum. 

“These two markets [of Egypt and Morocco] are rapidly accelerating and represent major growth engines for our brand family across Africa,” says Wytze van den Berg, Vice-President of International Operations at BWH Hotels. 

Group’s new Nigerian properties 

In Nigeria, the two new projects are the Best Western Premier McDons Skye Hotel in Owerri, the capital city of Imo State, and the Best Western Plus Ambience Hotel Ikeja in Lagos. 

The former caters to both business and leisure travellers. It features a rooftop bar, restaurant, state-of-the-art fitness centre, outdoor pool, and flexible meeting and event facilities. The latter is an upper-midscale hotel offering an on-site restaurant, meeting room ideal for small corporate gatherings, fitness centre and relaxation areas for business travellers on the go. 

Comments Travel and Tour World, a global travel media platform: “As Africa continues to develop as a top global tourism destination, BWH Hotels is positioning itself as a key player in shaping the future of African hospitality.” 

The African Marketing Confederation is collaborating with UN Tourism on its Brand Africa initiative to create a responsible, sustainable and attractive pan-African tourism brand. The AMC is also launching a dedicated Tourism Chapter for African tourism marketers.