The InterContinental Lagos opened its doors in mid-July to become InterContinetal Hotels Group’s first hotel in Nigeria and the company’s first InterContinental hotel in West Africa.

Located on Victorian Island, the business and diplomatic hub of the Nigerian city and home to many multi-national corporations, the hotel towers 23 storeys and has 358 rooms.

InterContinental Lagos is the sixth property from the hotel group in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the next five years, the hotel will be joined by an additional two InterContinental hotels in Senegal and Uganda.

InterContinental is just one of many hotel chains looking to new markets in Africa for expansion. A 2013 survey by W Hospitality Group indicates there are deals for chain expansion in 54 African countries. To date, expansion has been largely focused in the five North African countries; however, future expansion looks to sub-Saharan Africa, which, according to a 2012 regional overview by the Institute of International Finance, is the world’s second fastest growing region. Seven countries – Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia – account for 65 per cent of the region’s economy.

Expansions from other hotel chains include:

• Marriott International’s first East African hotel, which is slated to open later this year in Kigali, Rwanda. The company plans to increase its African holdings to 50 properties by 2020.
• Starwood Hotels and Resorts’ plans to expand its portfolio from 38 to 50 hotels across the African continent by 2015. Four new hotels are scheduled to open in Nigeria by 2017.

Earlier this year, Hilton Worldwide opened its first DoubleTree by Hilton hotel in South Africa, the fifth Hilton property in the country.