The New Mauritius Hotels group (Beachcomber group) is withdrawing from the management of its establishment in Marrakech and entrusting it to Fairmont Hotels & Resorts (AccorHotels group). The management agreement will take effect from May 1, 2017. Another agreement is in progress between the two groups which should also establish the management of the real estate part of the Royal Palm by Fairmont. Opened in December 2013 by the Beachcomber group, the Royal Palm was the first investment by the leading Mauritian hotel group outside its borders.
Crossing oceans and investing outside of your home base for the first time was a challenge. The adventure was quite eventful since the Mauritian hotelier had concluded its partnership agreement with the Moroccan government in September 2006 as part of Vision 2010. The agreement included the implementation of a high-end golf tourism project in Tamesloht for 200 million euros of investment and a commercial opening for 2009 with a luxury palace, an 18-hole course and a first tranche of 151 villas. Along the way, the Mauritian experienced some problems. First, the economic crisis which had affected a large number of investors.
Then, the withdrawal of its local partner, Robert Azoulay, who no longer had the funds to follow. Despite these difficulties, the Mauritian group continued to believe in it and was able to take over the entire project with its own funds. Today, he is handing over management to Fairmont Hotel at a time when the establishment’s results and occupancy rates are sufficiently encouraging, indicates Beachcomber management. The Mauritian group wishes, through this partnership, to position the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech as the benchmark resort in Morocco.
“We are confident that the commercial strength of AccorHotels and its Fairmont brand will contribute to making the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech the leading hotel in Morocco,” underlines Gilbert Espitalier-Noël, CEO of Beachcomber Resorts & Hotels, the largest hotel group in Mauritius and the region. With the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech, the Canadian brand, bought in 2015 by the Accor group,
will have three hotels under its umbrella. In addition to that of Marrakech, it will have to manage the Fairmont Marina Rabat Salé currently being built on the Bouregreg site as well as another establishment at the seaside resort of Taghazout Bay.
From our correspondent
source: leconomiste
