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Africa's first 'easyHotel' for Joburg

5 April 2012

Industrial conglomerate Lonrho is partnering with global private investment company easyGroup to expand the easyHotel.com brand of hotels into Africa, starting this year with Johannesburg's central business district.

The first easyHotel.com-branded hotel, which will be known as the "easyHotel Rissik Street", will the first of 50 hotels to be opened in Africa by 2016 under an exclusive 20-year master franchise agreement between Lonrho and easyHotel, the companies announced on Tuesday.

Johannesburg's historic Stuttafords department store building will be completely revamped to become the "easyHotel Rissik Street", located in the city's regenerated and rapidly expanding central business district.

easyHotel's low-cost business model gives customers an international-standard bedroom at a highly competitive price. The "easy" brand is one of most recognised and successful value-for-money brands in the world.

easyHotel.com Rissik Street will be built and operated to easyGroup's exact international standards, providing clean, safe and branded hotel accommodation for people travelling on business, leisure and visiting friends and family.

"There is a large gap in the market for quality budget hotels, and the easyHotel.com room offering is ideally suited to fill this much-needed gap across the continent," Lonrho executive chairman David Lenigas said in a statement.

easyGroup founder Stelios Haji-Ioannou said that he is delighted to bring the group's first African hotel to Johannesburg.

"The city has a wealth of attractions and events of interest to both leisure and business visitors," Haji-Ioannou said. "This new easyHotel will allow them to enjoy the best of what Johannesburg has to offer without the expense."

SAinfo reporter