UAE-based hospitality brand Rotana has closed a hotel management deal with Mullion Contractors Limited to manage a new five-star hotel and hotel apartments in Kenyan capital of Nairobi.

Set to open in 2022, the new property will be situated in Upper Hill, a popular business district in the city of Nairobi.

The upcoming hotels will have 200 hotel rooms and 100 hotel apartments and will be operated under the Rotana Hotels & Resorts and Arjaan hotel apartments by Rotana brands.

The agreement for the new hotel comes 30 days after Rotana signed up for its first property in the Republic of Zambia. The planned five-star hotel is scheduled for commencement in 2021 in the heart of the south-central African country’s capital city Lusaka.

When opened, the new properties in Kenya and Zambia will join the company’s list of operating hotels in the African continent that includes Al Salam Rotana, Khartoum, Sudan; Kin Plaza Arjaan by Rotana, Kinshasa, DR Congo; and Grand Rotana Resort & Spa, Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt.

Nasser Al-Nowais, chairman, 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.”

Vice chairman of Rotana, Selim El Zyr, added: “With its promising economic growth projections of around 6 percent, Kenya remains one of Africa’s most buoyant markets and thus offers bright prospects for the hospitality sector.

He expressed his optimism in the project stating that that this strategic step will fuel their ambitious expansion drive in the African continent.

The new hotel and hotel apartments will add Rotana’s total inventory in Africa to 2,028. Rotana also has planned new hotels in Tanzania, Mauritania, Angola and Nigeria which are scheduled to open by 2022.