International hotel group, Cresta Hospitality, has opened its first premier four-star hotel product in West Africa, the Cresta Royale Accra in the Ghanaian capital.

The hotel is situated near the city centre in Accra and consists of 100 guest rooms of 30 square metres each, becoming the largest rooms in the city, a swimming pool, a spacious reception and dining area, fully equipped conference facilities and business services.

This brings to 15 the total number of properties under the ambit of Cresta, which has an array of hotels and lodges.

Cresta, a TA Holdings subsidiary focusing primarily on hotel management, currently operates 13 hotels in Zimbabwe and Botswana, while another is set to be opened in Malawi next February.

The strategic move is meant not only to strengthen the position of Cresta in West Africa but for the convenience of many of Cresta’s corporate travellers and provide employment for 100 Ghanaians.

Norman Moyo, Cresta group marketing and sales manager, said the Ghanaian venture was a launch-pad for expansion in the lucrative West African market.

"We are really excited by our Ghanaian project because it is going to be our launch-pad for the foray into West Africa.

"It is also interesting to note that several of our companies are also moving into that region, so opportunities exist for the convenient provision of services to our local partners when they go to West Africa," Moyo said.

He added that Cresta had also received offers of hotel management contracts from Nigeria and Kenya.

"This is largely due to the reputation we have built as a focused hotel management firm, as well as the dearth of hotel management skills on the continent."

Local firms, mainly financial companies, have recently shown interest in the West African market, with Trust Holdings making an acquisition in Ghana.

Sajid Khan, formally the general manager of the Cresta Jameson, will spearhead operations in Ghana with the challenge being to maintain the same standards of excellence that are characteristic of all four-star Cresta hotels and lodges.

The Cresta Hospitality Group has, to a large extent, been spared the brunt of plummeting tourist arrivals largely due to its business hotel model.

Resort hotels have been largely hit by the decline in tourist activity due to the country’s risk profile that has been heightened by bad publicity and a worsening economic and political environment.