Interview with Olivier Jacquin, CEO of the Mangalis Hotels group

Making Mangalis the leading regional player

Why is Africa a priority for most hotel groups?

Olivier Jacquin - Demographically and economically, Africa will be the largest continent, with over 2.5 billion inhabitants by 2050. One in four people will live in Africa. This offers great prospects in all sectors, particularly tourism. The penetration rate of hotel chains is only 6% in West Africa, compared with 30 % in Europe and 70 % in the United States. At present, the hotel offer in Africa is positioned at the top end of the market. There is a real need for renewal, as the concepts often date back to the 70s and 80s. On the other hand, there is a definite shortfall in the budget and mid-range segments, both in the capital cities and in the secondary towns. All these factors are helping to strengthen the presence of hotel groups, especially as the airline sector is undergoing a revolution with the opening of new airports and the creation of new routes that considerably reduce domestic distances and connections with the rest of the world.

Which countries currently represent the greatest potential for your development?

O. J. - Our core development area is West Africa, the entire sub-region stretching from Nouakchott in Mauritania to Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dakar in Senegal and Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire are our primary markets. These two capitals represent the crossroads for business travel in West Africa. We already have a presence there with two of our brands, Seen Abidjan Plateau, which opened in 2017, and Yaas Dakar Almadies, which opened at the end of 2016. We are currently developing six projects in these two cities, totalling almost 800 rooms, notably with the arrival of our upmarket Noom brand in Abidjan and Assinie, but also by speeding up the introduction of our lifestyle Yaas brand in the new development hubs of Damniadio in Dakar and Akwaba in Abidjan. 2019 will be a key year for Mangalis with the opening of three Noom hotels in Cotonou in Benin, Niamey in Niger and Abidjan in Côte d'Ivoire. Our future flagship, the Noom Hotel Abidjan Plateau, will have 257 rooms and suites, a conference area of more than 3,000 m² and spectacular dining areas offering breathtaking views over Abidjan. By 2021, we will have more than fifteen units with a total of 2,300 rooms, making Mangalis Hotel Group the leading regional player.

You have several brands in your portfolio. What types of business travellers are attracted to each of them? What do business travellers expect from a hotel in Africa?

O. J. - With our three brands, Noom Hotels at the top end of the market, Seen Hotels in the mid-range and Yaas Hotels on the budget lifestyle side, we mainly target business travellers in the continent's capitals and major economic centres. Always ideally located, our establishments attract travellers looking for hotels that combine a real lifestyle with accommodation that lives up to their expectations in terms of comfort. Other pillars of our offer are quality catering, state-of-the-art technology and, above all, security to international standards.

When it comes to business travel, security is an important factor in Africa. How can you ensure this for your customers?

O. J. - Security is a global issue these days and, in Africa, security resources have been considerably strengthened at the request of governments, but also by hotel operators themselves, who are coming up with new solutions. We have put in place these new conditions with the support of security specialists to guarantee our customers an environment that meets international standards. The hotels' priority access zones have been both redesigned and reinforced by doubling the number of security staff, as well as installing all the necessary technical aids such as electric bollards, airport-standard security gates and an increase in the number of security cameras in public areas, including on floors. Everything is being done to minimise risks, and the same applies to fire safety.

How does this influence the development and design of the facilities?

O. J. - Our sites are in the heart of highly secure districts, close to international institutions such as banks, embassies and ministries. Right from the design stage, we ensure that the hotel incorporates the recommendations of our experts without conflicting with our design and our desire to make our hotels real places to live. The technical safety elements mentioned above are an integral part of the design plan, and we choose the best solutions without compromising aesthetics so that the customer does not feel that they are in an enclosed or restrictive space. Design and safety go hand in hand, one does not take precedence over the other. We base our safety on French and British standards, which are reputed to be among the strictest. By way of example, the Noom Conakry, which opened in September 2016, is now recognised as one of the best hotels in its category - we receive dignitaries from all over the world here - and has notably been selected by the French embassy as a meeting point for all European nationals.