The Radisson Hotel Group will inaugurate two new hotels in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2026 and 2027. The news was disclosed in a press release dated May 15, 2025

The first hotel, a five-star-equivalent Radisson Blu, located in Kinshasa, will be inaugurated by late 2026. The second, a four-star Radisson Hotel, located in Lubumbashi, will be inaugurated by mid-2027.

The Kinshasa building will be located on Boulevard Colonel Tshatshi in the Gombe district—Kinshasa’s main residential and business hub. It will offer 110 rooms, including suites and a presidential suite. Amenities will include a lobby bar, an all-day restaurant, a pool bar, a wellness center with a gym and massage rooms, an outdoor pool with a terrace, and modern meeting and event spaces.

In Lubumbashi, the DRC’s second-largest city and mining industry center, Radisson plans to open a four-star hotel near Lake Kipopo. This hotel will feature 97 rooms, including junior suites and a presidential suite, along with a lobby bar, an all-day restaurant, a rooftop bar & grill, meeting rooms, a modern gym, and a swimming pool.

Radisson’s entry into the Congolese market is part of its broader expansion strategy in West and Central Africa, aiming to increase its hotel portfolio in these regions by 50% by 2030. Ramsay Rankoussi, Vice President of Development for Africa and Turkey, stated that this expansion is designed to consolidate the Group’s presence on the African continent. Besides the DRC, markets such as Tanzania and Guinea-Conakry are also targeted.

Owned since 2018 by the Chinese conglomerate Jin Jiang International Holdings, a state-owned company based in Shanghai, Radisson is capitalizing on local economic opportunities amid significant Chinese investment in the mining and infrastructure sectors.

Radisson operates as a hotel manager, responsible solely for managing properties once they open. Its deployment is conducted in partnership with project promoters, though the Group has not disclosed its partners in the DRC. According to Access HDC, a hotel investment consultancy, the Radisson Blu Hotel Kinshasa is being developed in collaboration with X-Ray Group, an Istanbul-based design firm specializing in architecture, interior design, and hotel project management, which is the main investor.

Ronsard Luabeya (intern)