Abu Dhabi’s hotel group Rotana has signed a hotel management agreement with Mullion Contractors Limited to manage a new five-star hotel and hotel apartments in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital city, attempting to further expand its footprint in the African market, Invest-Gate reports.

The new property, which is scheduled for completion in 2022, will be situated in Upper Hill – a renowned business district in Nairobi – and will encompass 200 hotel rooms and 100 hotel apartments, according to Rotana’s statement on December 23.

“The upcoming hotels will be operated under the ‘Rotana Hotels and Resorts’ and ‘Arjaan Hotel Apartments by Rotana’ brands,” the statement highlighted.

Commenting on the agreement, Nasser Al-Nowais, chairman of Rotana, said, “Setting foot in Kenyan market with a five-star hotel and hotel apartments is closely aligned with our vision of strengthening Rotana’s presence in Africa and bolstering our global portfolio further.”

“We will continue to seek new opportunities to offer Rotana’s branded accommodation on the continent that is increasingly becoming popular among tourists and corporate travelers from around the world,” he added.

Meanwhile, Rotana’s Vice Chairman Selim El Zyr stated, “With its promising economic growth projections of around 6%, Kenya remains one of Africa’s most buoyant markets and thus offers bright prospects for the hospitality sector … We are optimistic that this strategic step will fuel our ambitious expansion drive in the African continent.”

The additional hotel and hotel apartments will bring Rotana’s total inventory in Africa to 2,028 hospitality assets, with some planned hotels in Angola, Mauritania, Nigeria, and Tanzania – which are scheduled to open by 2022.

Rotana’s agreement for the new hotel comes a month after it signed up for its first property in the Republic of Zambia for developing a five-star hotel property in the heart of the south-central African country’s capital city Lusaka – which is set to open in 2021.