Nearly 5,000 hotel rooms added to Africa pipeline

The Middle East/Africa hotel development pipeline has seen a major increase in the past month, with more than 20 new properties added. According to latest data from STR Global, the November construction pipeline comprises 494 hotels totalling 133,705 rooms. This compares to 471 hotels totalling 128,969 rooms a month earlier, the data showed. Among the key countries in the region, the UAE reported the largest number of rooms in the In Construction phase with 21,238 rooms. Four other countries reported more than 3,000 rooms under construction: Saudi Arabia (11,270 rooms); Qatar (5,544 rooms); Egypt (4,807 rooms); and Jordan (3,758 rooms). UAE-based hospitality company Rotana last month said that it will be opening eight new properties across the Middle East in the next 12 months. The openings will include Rotana's first properties in Bahrain, Amman in Jordan and in Salalah, Oman. The hotel management company will also expand its portolio in the UAE with four new hotels across Abu Dhabi and Dubai to open before the end of 2012. Qatar Tourism Authority said in November that it was planning to build 74 new hotels, adding 21,988 new rooms to the country's room inventory as the gulf state prepares for major events such as the 2022 World Cup. There are currently 11 new hotels under construction in Qatar according to its Department of Licensing and Classification.