Dreaming of a luxury escape in Paris or Milan? You might be looking in the wrong hemisphere. Africa’s hospitality scene is heating up — and not just because of the weather.

According to Joep Schoof, Director of Operations at Valor Hospitality Partners Africa, the continent’s hotels are delivering global standards with a distinctly local twist. Whether you’re headed to Cape Town, Durban, or Johannesburg, or further afield to Kenya, Nigeria, Zanzibar, or the Democratic Republic of Congo, there’s a growing portfolio of stays that blend international polish with real personality.

It’s a shift driven by travellers (yes, local ones too) who want more than a cookie-cutter hotel room. Think multiple restaurants instead of just one, curated local experiences, and a sense of place that you just can’t replicate in a chain-hotel corridor.

The catch? It’s still a work in progress. Infrastructure gaps, expensive builds, and cross-continental flights that feel like odysseys (22 hours to Cameroon, anyone?) are real hurdles. But the ambition is there — and it’s working.

So before you book that long-haul flight and convert your savings into euros, consider this: some of the most exciting hotel stays in the world right now are right here on the continent. Same luxury. Less layover.

Because sometimes, the best-kept travel secrets don’t require a new visa. Just a new perspective.

Listen to the full interview from HOT Business with Jeremy Maggs, below: