CG Hotels and Resorts enters MEA with UAE & Rwanda

Nepal company CG Hotels and Resorts has started the construction of the 200-key luxury Vivanta by Taj hotel in Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, with its The Zinc & Zinc Living luxury hotel in Kigali, Rwanda set to open soon.

CG Hotels and Resorts is the hospitality arm of Chaudhary Group, and its president Binod Chaudhary, also the chairman of Cinnovation Group, told Hotelier Middle East: “CG Hotels and Resorts has a strategic expansion plan across the Middle East and Africa, having identified key markets such as Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Doha, Saudi Arabia and Iran in Middle East as well as Kigali, Nairobi, Dar E Salaam, Kampala, Burundi and Mozambique in Africa."

Chaudhary, a Nepalese billionaire, added: “This is a part of its larger global development strategy, with a target to more than double the number of hotels to 200 by 2020, which would make CG Hotels and Resorts a dominant player in the hospitality sector.

“With the opening of The Zinc & Zinc Living luxury hotel in Kigali, Rwanda soon, we will be setting a new benchmark in hospitality in East Africa. Our presence in so many different countries and geographies along with an array of profitable brands gives us a greater flexibility and an edge over other brands, to invest in properties with various affiliated brands.”

He said Africa is of interest to the hospitality firm. “East Africa is an emerging market. After having gone through its fair share of turmoil and disturbances, the markets have now bounced back with a first mover’s advantage whereby the tourist arrivals also seem to be increasing year on year apart from the favourable foreign investment environment. Not many international brands have entered our strategic plan markets thereby giving us an edge over the others. The rates that these markets are commanding makes the business model more lucrative.”

Talking about long-term goals, Chaudhary said the group plans to span all segments from budget to luxury. "The first criteria for us is to tap newer and future segments and partner with brands relevant to our target audience. The other is to span all segments from budget to luxury as we want to be known for delivering excellence at every level."