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The Bench
Source: The Bench |

CORRECTION: CityBlue Hotels Announces Le Mirage Residences by CityBlue, The Tallest Branded Residences in East Africa

The development will feature luxurious 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom apartments, complemented by an extensive array of 22+ world-class amenities

CityBlue Hotels, Africa’s fastest-growing local hotel chain, and SMB Properties, a leading property developer in Kenya, today announced a strategic partnership to launch the 256-unit Le Mirage Residences by CityBlue. This landmark collaboration will introduce a new paradigm of upscale residential living in Nairobi, with Le Mirage Residences by CityBlue…

The Bench
Source: The Bench |

CityBlue Hotels Announces Le Mirage Residences by CityBlue, The Tallest Branded Residences in Kenya

The development will feature luxurious 1, 2, 3, and 4-bedroom apartments, complemented by an extensive array of 22+ world-class amenities

CityBlue Hotels, Africa’s fastest-growing local hotel chain, and SMB Properties, a leading property developer in Kenya, today announced a strategic partnership to launch the 256-unit Le Mirage Residences by CityBlue. This landmark collaboration will introduce a new paradigm of upscale residential living in Nairobi, with Le Mirage Residences by CityBlue…

The Bench

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    • Andrew McLachlan, Founder & MD, Develop Hotels
    • Cape Town Average Daily Rate 2020-2025 - 3 Month Average
    • Cape Town Occupancy 2020-2025
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Source: The Bench |

Cape Town is Hot Property

Development boom bodes well for Africa’s top hotel investment summit

Cape Town's hospitality and real estate industries are experiencing remarkable growth, reinforcing the city's current status as Africa's premier destination for tourism and investment. This surge bodes well for the upcoming Future Hospitality Summit Africa, the continent’s most influential hospitality & tourism investment conference, which comes to “The Mother City”…

The Bench

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    • William E. Heinecke, Founder and Chairman of Minor Hotels
    • David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town
    • Hala Matar Choufany, President of HVS Middle East, Africa & South Asia
    • Matthew Weihs, Managing Director of The Bench
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Source: The Bench |

Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Africa 2025 Honours David Green, William E. Heinecke and Hala Matar Choufany for Visionary Leadership and Lasting Impact on the Hospitality Industry

Their selections reflect not only individual excellence, but also the values that FHS Africa seeks to champion: ethical leadership, inclusive development, and long-term impact

The 2025 Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Africa Awards will honour three exceptional individuals whose leadership, vision, and integrity have profoundly shaped the hospitality industry in Africa and beyond. David Green, CEO of the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, will be recognised with the FHS Outstanding Contribution to Hospitality Award; William…

The Bench

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    • Matthew Weihs, Commercial Director of the Bench
    • William E. Heinecke, Founder and Chairman of Minor Hotels
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Source: The Bench |

Africa’s Leading Hospitality Investors and Visionaries Come to Cape Town in June

This year’s speaker lineup features major investors, visionaries, strategists, and dealmakers who are actively reshaping the landscape of hospitality across Africa

Future Hospitality Summit (FHS) Africa 2025 comes to Cape Town from 17–19 June 2025, bringing together the most influential voices in hospitality investment, development, and sustainability from across the globe. This year’s speaker lineup features major investors, visionaries, strategists, and dealmakers who are actively reshaping the landscape of hospitality across Africa.…

The Bench

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    • Regional Summary 2025
    • Top 10 Countries 2025
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    • Top 10 Countries by Rooms 2025
    • Trevor Ward, Managing Director, W Hospitality Group
    • Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, The Bench
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Source: The Bench |

Hotel development booms in Africa, boosted by Egypt and Marriott

Development activity has been growing impressively in North Africa, which saw a 23% year-on-year increase, compared to a 6% increase in sub-Saharan Africa

This year’s Hotel Development Pipeline Report, the definitive study of international hospitality development projects in Africa, reveals record activity. There are 577 hotels and resorts, with 104,444 rooms, in the development pipeline, up by 13.3% on 2024, way ahead of the single digit pipeline growth reported globally by the leading…

The Bench
Source: The Bench |

The Bench rebrands Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF) as Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa) under unified Future Hospitality Summit portfolio

At AHIF 2024, over $365 million in deals were signed, further solidifying the event’s role as a catalyst for investment across the region

The Bench (TheBench.com), a global leader in hospitality investment events, is rebranding the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF) as Future Hospitality Summit Africa (FHS Africa). Doing so brings AHIF, Africa’s most influential tourism investment conference, under The Bench's flagship Future Hospitality Summit, or 'FHS' brand, aligning it with FHS Saudi Arabia and…

The Bench

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    • Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, The Bench
    • Daniel Silke, Political Economist
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Source: The Bench |

The Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF) Heads to Cape Town for the First Time for its 13th Edition

New Format Promises Enhanced Networking, Hands-on Workshops, Interactive Insights and Country Showcases

The Africa Hospitality Investment Forum (AHIF), Africa’s premier conference for tourism and hospitality investment, is gearing up for its 2025 edition in Cape Town. Taking place from 17 to 19 June at The Westin Cape Town, AHIF 2025 will introduce an innovative, dynamic format aimed at fostering new partnerships and…

The Bench

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    • Olivier Granet, Managing Partner and CEO, Kasada Capital Management
    • David Damiba, Managing Partner and CIO, Kasada Capital Management
    • Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, The Bench
    • Nangula Uaandja, Chairperson and CEO, Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board
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Source: The Bench |

Namibia's Landscape to Shine at the Africa Hospitality Investment Forum 2024

The weekend before AHIF will feature various inspection trips to see some of Namibia’s best hospitality investment projects and tourism attractions

The Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), which is the premier tourism and hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers, will take place on 25 - 27 June 2024, in Namibia. The venue will be the Mövenpick and Mercure hotels…

Bench Events

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    • Matthew Weihs, Managing Director, The Bench
    • Trevor Ward, Managing Director, W Hospitality Group
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    • Egypt and Marriott power hotel development in Africa
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Source: Bench Events |

Egypt and Marriott power hotel development in Africa

Egypt not only leads the country table, with almost 25,000 rooms in 103 hotels, but is streaking ahead of the pack

When it comes to hotel development across Africa, Egypt and Marriott are the two phenomena to watch. This insight comes from this year’s African Hotel Chain Development Pipeline report, widely acknowledged as the industry’s most authoritative source, documenting and analysing the number of hotels being planned and built across the…