Mangalis pushes frontiers of world-class hospitality in Africa
No doubt, the African hospitality landscape can be referred to as ageing with some hotels operating for over decades under different brands across many countries on the continent. However, the requirements and tastes of travellers have significantly evolved in the last few years. Today’s hotel guests want personalisation, local touch, digital and bespoke experience where they could feel home away from home.
The need to meet the demands of today’s travellers and guests, especially on the African continent was what gave birth to Mangalis Hotel Group; a pan-African hospitality company with focus on setting benchmark for world class offerings across the continent.
Since birthing in Africa in 2012, Mangalis has helped travelers and guests to carry their lifestyle with them when they travel for either business or leisure through its unique market segmentation with three innovative brands; Noom, Seen and Yaas starting from West African countries of Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire and Guinea.
Noom is upscale brand; Yaas is the economy lifestyle brand, while Seen is midscale brand. Despite the market segmentation, the hotels across the three brands have many similarities. Foremost of them is the element of freshness in the rooms and communal areas design and style example, as well, public spaces are fluid open space adapted for work and relaxation, where travellers can connect easily and have flawless digital experience. They can remain connected anywhere and place in the hotel.
Although a new entrant in the African hotel space, Mangalis Hotel Group has made a mark since opening its doors to the African public a few years ago. The group unveiled Noom Hotels, its upscale brand in Conakry Guinea few years ago followed by the Yaas Hotels the economy lifestyle brand in Dakar in December 2016 and more recently Seen Hotels band in Abidjan. The hotels are very successful in their respective markets. Noom Hotel has become the place to be in Conakry Guinea for its innovative design, and offering (brunch, after work gatherings to the sounds of our in-house DJ, concerts of top African bands, business TV show shooting spots among others). Yaas carries a very optimistic design combined with technology which makes it a very popular hotel in Dakar Senegal today and so does Seen in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire’s bustling business district.
“Judging by our ranking on travel review sites, and overall hotel performance, it seems that our vision was right”, Wesam Okasha, Group Business Development Director, Mangalis Hotel Group, says.
Another difference the group is bringing to the African hospitality is the ability of guests to book the products they associate with from comfort, style and price perspectives courtesy of the options provided with its three distinctive segments.
As well, the brand is repositioning African hotel business away from the erroneous believe that it is overpriced hence at a time when travellers and more particularly business travellers pay more attention to their travel budgets and expenditure, Mangalis Hotel Group is offering products that are positioned correctly from price and standard points. Its three brands with their different price range help address the overpricing issue.
“I can appreciate travellers’ frustration, when feeling “ripped off” and not benefiting a product or service that justifies the price. When we get enough supply on the continent or shall I say when the product quality matches the price, the perception will certainly change. Our aim is to have the three brands in each market so guest can choose according to their buying power”, the Group Business Development Director says further.
Mangalis Hotel Group is not scared of competition and scrambling for market share among other global and regional hotel brands operating across the African continent before its emergence in the scene. “The region is still under supplied, the cake so to say, is big enough. There is still room for everyone to have its fair share in the upscale, midscale and economy segments. Clients will choose brands they identify with naturally. But of course, this is not to say that we do not market ourselves, we obviously promote the hotels to raise brand awareness, and clients must know what choices are available to them so they can choose accordingly”, Wesam Okasha explains.
Explaining rational for flagging off in its current Francophone West African countries, the Group Business Development Director says, “We strategically chose to start in our current locations for several reasons among which the fact that these markets are very well known to Teyliom Group; our parent’s company. Although every market has its challenge, some are more complex than others. We are opened to opportunities, especially in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa where we are in talk with some potential partners but at the end of the day, to be the right opportunity to sustain a healthy growth and support rapid ROI”.
The group hopes to deliver on its upcoming properties in 2018 including; Noom in Pointe Noire,
Cotonou, Abidjan among others.
However, the group is set to push its expansion ambition beyond the Francophone Africa across other parts of the continent with a target of 13 properties and over 1900 rooms in West Africa by 2020.
Wesam Okasha assures that The Mangalis is not only rooted in Africa but is in Africa for stay, saying, “Our ambition is to be the benchmark of the African hospitality in Africa and beyond. We want to put Africa on the global landscape in terms of hotel offering, and service standard we therefore have no ambition in being under the umbrella of another group”.