AccorHotels acquires 50% stake in Mantis Group

AccorHotels has acquired a 50% stake in the South Africa-based Mantis Group collection.

As well as 28 boutique hotels and game reserves internationally, focusing on ecotourism and conservation, the group operates the five-AA-star Draycott hotel (pictured), the Devonshire private members' club in London and the Alladale Wilderness Reserve in the Scottish Highlands.

This strategic partnership will strengthen AccorHotels' position in Africa and will add conservation and education to its operations. The groups have simultaneously announced the launch of Community Conservation Fund Africa (CCFA), a non-profit organisation to prevent the accelerating decline of Africa's wildlife, bringing together the Wilderness Foundation, Tusk Trust and African Parks.

Sebastien Bazin, chairman and chief executive of French hospitality group AccorHotels, said: "With this strategic partnership, we are reinforcing the group's footprint in Africa and we have access to a brand with strong roots and heritage, recognised for its commitment to preserve the environment and its prestigious credentials in the hospitality space."

Founder and chairman of the Mantis Group, Adrian Gardiner, added: "This agreement presents an attractive proposition for the Mantis Group to utilise AccorHotels' robust distribution channels and worldwide."

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