Credit: marriott.com /

DIPLOMATIC TIMES  STAFF

President and CEO of Marriott International, Arne Sorenson, met Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde in Addis Ababa Friday to express Marriott’s plan to expand its presence in Ethiopia,  newbusinessethiopia.com reported.

The hospitality giant has set a target to work with Ethiopia to explore new ways and avenues to further enhance the hospitality industry in the country,  newbusinessethiopia. 

“Tourism, particularly the hospitality industry is growing substantially in Ethiopia. As there is a high global competition for the market, Ethiopia needs to do more in the sector. Marriott is ready to work with the relevant bodies of Ethiopia,’’

-President and CEO of Marriot International, Arne Sorenson.

Credit: newbusinessethiopia.com / CEO of Marriot International, Arne Sorenson, meets with  Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde in Addis Ababa Apr. 19, 2019 

Underlining the comparative advantages of Ethiopia in the industry, the CEO also briefed the President on its plan to hold a conference on Hospitality in Addis Ababa on next September, inviting people across Africa and the rest of the globe to promote heritages of Ethiopia and the continent.

Marriott International Is The Largest Hotel Company Operating In Africa 

In 2014, Marriott International became the largest hotel company in Africa, and nearly doubled its presence in its Middle East and Africa region to more than 160 hotels and 23,000 rooms as it completed its acquisition of the 116-hotel Protea Hospitality Group (PHG), based in South Africa.  Marriott International is present in 21 countries on the African continent: Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda and Zambia. The company is set to expand into new markets including Benin, Botswana, Ivory Coast, Mauritania, Mozambique and Senegal.

Credit:  marriott.com /  Luxury 5-Star  Marriott Executive Apartments Hotel located in Addis Ababa a few steps from UN-ECA Headquarters and a 10-minute drive to the African Union Headquarters.

Addis Ababa Ascending:  hotemanagement.net 

Thomas Emanuel, director at STR, cited Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa as a significant emerging market.

“It’s had a huge influx of supply recently,” he said. After Cairo, Addis Ababa has the largest pipeline of any city on the continent, with more than 4,000 guestrooms in development. Lagos-based W Hospitality Group estimated in the third quarter of last year that Ethiopia’s hotel development pipeline was up almost 50 percent over 2017’s figures, with Addis Ababa accounting for 86 percent of the total-according to hotelmangement.net.

‘Ethiopian Airlines has a huge network and has turned the city into a hub for travel across the continent and to other destinations throughout the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.’

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®.