More Best Western hotels for West Africa

Best Western International has announced the addition of three new hotels to its West African portfolio. With eight properties open and five additional hotels in the pipeline, Best Western plans to have more than 1,300 rooms in West Africa.

The newest additions are the Best Western Plus Ajuji Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria, the Best Western Starfire Hotel in Lagos, Nigeria, and the Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi, Ghana.

“We see West Africa as one of the global hotbeds for hotel development and these three properties are a major step forward in our efforts to expand throughout that region,” said Best Western’s Vice-President of International Operations Suzi Yoder.

The Best Western Plus Ajuji Hotel will offer 104 rooms in the new Gudu District, with direct access to the CBD, Abuja Domestic Airport and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport.

The Best Western Starfire Hotel, in the heart of Lagos, is adjacent to the city’s large shopping district. The property offers 40 bedrooms. Breakfast, Wi-Fi and car parking are complimentary to all guests.

The Best Western Plus Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi is a 5-star property that features 200 guest rooms, a wide selection of dining and beverage outlets and a conference and banqueting hall, which can accommodate up to 400 people.
 

Virgin Suspends Flights to Accra

Virgin Atlantic has announced it will be suspending its operations between London Heathrow and Accra, Ghana, from 22 September.
 The last flight from Accra to London will depart on 23 September. Exceptionally high fuel costs in Ghana, a challenging wider economic environment and an inability to operate morning arrivals from Accra due to scarcity of slots at Heathrow, have all contributed to the decision to withdraw the service.
 “These are still challenging times for the airline industry and we have to deploy our aircraft to routes with the right level of demand to be financially viable,” says Edmond Rose, Director of Airline Planning for Virgin Atlantic. Passengers can continue to book for travel prior to those days throughout the coming months.

RwandAir to Add New Destinations

 According to eturbonews.com, RwandAir plans to introduce Accra, Ghana to its network by June, which would make it the airline's 15th destination. The move to add another West African gateway to Lagos, Libreville, and Brazzaville shows that Rwanda’s national airline is serious about its expansion plans. RwandAir’s CEO John Mirenge is also on record as saying that more destinations, including Juba, Zanzibar, and either Lusaka or Harare, will be launched later this year. The ambitious growth plans will be further aided when in April this year the airline’s two B737-500 will be returned to the lessors GECAS at the end of the lease agreement and be substituted by two more recently built B737-700ERs, acquired from Germany’s TUIfly. The change will extend the operational range, as the two older Boeings faced limitations on the longer routes, such as Dubai, Johannesburg and Lagos, while the much younger B737-700s can fly these routes with full passenger and cargo load.