Joburg to get Africa’s first easyHotel by the end of 2012

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Lonrho is turning the historic former Stuttafords Department Store building in the Johannesburg Central Business District into the easyHotel Rissik Street. Lonrho is turning the historic former Stuttafords Department Store building in the Johannesburg Central Business District into the easyHotel Rissik Street.

Lonrho (LON:LONR) is opening the first easyHotel branded hotel by the end of the year under its exclusive franchise agreement with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou's easyGroup.

Lonrho Plc will develop the first easyHotel.com branded hotel in Africa in the former Stuttafords department store building in Rissik Street in the Johannesburg CBD.

Scheduled to open at the end of the year, the hotel will be developed in terms of a franchise

agreement with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou’s easyGroup.

The easyHotel.com Rissik Street is the first hotel under the exclusive 20-year master franchise agreement (MFA) that Lonrho enjoys with easyHotel. Together, easyHotel and Lonrho are committed to establishing an easyHotel network across Africa.

The MFA provides Lonrho with the exclusive rights to the easyHotel brand in Africa and sets out an agreed opening schedule for 50 properties by 2016.

Opening its first easyHotel.com in the heart of the Johannesburg, the commercial capital of South Africa, demonstrates Lonrho Budget Hotels’ corporate objective of operating hotels in Africa’s high-demand, high-growth destinations.

Lonrho says easyHotel will be the first trans-continental hotel brand in Africa specifically designed to be accessible to many, not a select few. easyHotel’s unique low-cost business model permits the customer to enjoy an international standard bedroom at a highly competitive price.

The “easy” brand is one of the world’s most recognised and successful value-for-money brands and easyHotel.com Rissik Street will be built and operated to easyGroup’s international standards, providing clean, safe and branded hotel accommodation for people travelling on

business, leisure and visiting friends and family.

David Lenigas, executive chairman of Lonrho, said: “This new hotel project between Sir Stelios and Lonrho starts the roll-out of easyHotels.com throughout Africa.”

Room prices will start from US$29 per room per night. “There is a large gap in the market for a quality budget hotel and the easyHotel.com room offering is ideally suited to fill it across the continent.

“Lonrho is already a significant brand name across Africa. We believe that combining it with the ‘easy’ brand, which is well-known for highly successful budget operations, to create the Lonrho easyHotel.com chain will satisfy the growing demand from consumers across the continent.”

Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, chairman of easyGroup, commented: “easyHotel is all about simple comfort and great value. So I`m delighted to bring our first African hotel to Johannesburg. The city has a wealth of attractions and events of interest to both leisure and business visitors, and this new easyHotel will allow them to enjoy the best of what Johannesburg has to offer – without the expense.

“I’m confident that easyHotel fans will soon be putting South Africa on their destinations wish list. I’m looking forward to working closely with David Lenigas and his team as we begin bringing quality, value-for-money services to Africa.”


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