Regional pRofile : AfricA
Azalaï Hotels Group
CEO Mossadeck Bally wants to double his company ’ s size by 2018 .
Rajakarier would beg to differ . The luxury Per Aquum brand seemed like the perfect fit for the former Essque Zalu Zanzibar ( due to open in 2016 ). He ’ s backing that up with the opening of two Anantara properties in 2017 — one in Tunisia and one in Morocco .
Bally ’ s bold plans for Azalaï
Azalaï Hotels Group CEO Mossadeck Bally isn ’ t yet a name-droppable star in hospitality , but that may soon change . Behind the disciplined executive and investor who nurtured his portfolio from its 1994 debut in Bamako , Mali , to its current five hotels ( four were added in Mali and Guinea-Bisseau ), there is a keen observer with a knack for seeing the right offers , the right markets and the right timing .
In his view , this is Azalaï ’ s moment . Bally plans to more than double the size of the company by 2018 with openings in Mauritania , Ivory Coast , Nigeria , Niger , Senegal and Guinea .
“ After having opened our hotels in Nouakchott and Abidjan later this year , Azalaï will have the most complete hotel network in the West Africa region ,” Bally says . “ Where we are not present yet , we have projects under development .”
In addition to teaming with Worldhotels to boost the company ’ s visibility , Bally is taking local connections to the next level . “ We have recently accompanied international conference organizers in our markets and established contact with local authorities to help them ,” he says .
Rather than looking to standardized brands , Bally is borrowing pages from the likes of CitizenM and Mama Shelter to create hotels with a sense of place and social magnetism . “ Brands like these have put experience first ,” he says .
How and who When it comes to the “ how ” of development in Africa , again , there ’ s no one right answer . Major chains know they won ’ t have to put much skin into the game , but even those able to stay asset-light need to be flexible . Management contracts are just part of the toolkit .
“ In South Africa probably the approach needs to focus more on existing portfolios of hotels and also where franchising could be considered ,” Guego says . “ We ’ re going to have to look at partnerships as well .”
From an operations standpoint , there is a need to balance keeping it real locally with meeting international standards . For example , staying on the cutting edge of connectivity ( especially in developing markets ) means more to guests — and the bottom line — than local art or design .
The “ who ” might just be the simpler question . Local investment continues to be a major factor in most markets , but , says Ward , tends to be shorter term and comes with a “ big chunk ” of ego .
Investors in some markets remain cautious . “ There ’ s a slowdown in investment in the oilproducing nations , not necessarily less cash available , but also a nervousness to commit resources ,” Guego says , adding that specialist funds like Dubai-based Quantum are looking at Africa .
Whatever blips are on the radar , experts agree it ’ s time to start looking at Africa as more than just potential . Growing international and regional MICE business looks set to become a reliable mainstay for hotels in much of the continent .
Plus , this boom doesn ’ t look set to go bust . According to PwC , markets like South Africa are stable enough to sustain mid-single-digit rate growth through 2019 .
Guego ’ s not too worried about the future , either . “ Resiliency is a reality in Africa ,” he says . “ An area which has been affected negatively for different reasons can recover very quickly .”
44 HOTELS September 2015 www . hotelsmag . com