The 16^th Africa Property Investment (API) Summit Hospitality Forum is the heart of deal-making in Africa’s real estate and hospitality sectors, driving significant growth and opportunity.

Taking place in Cape Town on the 18^th and 19^th of September 2025, the API Summit Hospitality Forum will bring together the continent’s most influential property investors, developers, financiers, and hospitality leaders. The forum takes place alongside the broader API Summit, having established itself as the definitive platform for securing new partnerships, investment opportunities, and accelerating growth within the hospitality industry.

What distinguishes the API Summit Hospitality Forum from other industry events is its unwavering focus on deal origination within hospitality. Over the two days, more than 600 delegates from 30 countries are set to engage in structured networking, exclusive knowledge sharing, and high-impact interactions that transform ideas into transactions.

“The API Summit Hospitality Forum offers an invaluable platform that connects multiple stakeholders — operators, brands, investors, and real estate participants — bringing together diverse perspectives often missing from traditional hospitality conferences,” comments Wayne Troughton, CEO of HTI Consulting and a featured speaker at this year’s forum.

He adds that the API Summit Hospitality Forum attracts a broad spectrum of investors, from traditional hotel investors to emerging players such as pension funds and institutional investors, who increasingly see hospitality as an attractive and resilient asset class. “Several pension funds are showing renewed interest in hospitality, particularly in markets that blend conferences, leisure, business, and key revenue drivers.”

This growing and evolving investor base is a clear sign of confidence and maturity within Africa’s hospitality ecosystem, perfectly encapsulated by the broader 2025 API Summit theme ‘Growth through Adventure.’

Among the notable attendees is Daniel Trappler, Senior Director of Development for Sub-Saharan Africa at Radisson Hotel Group. As a leading international hotel brand and proud sponsor of the API Summit Hospitality Forum, Radisson demonstrates its commitment to the promising potential of Africa’s hospitality sector.

“As sponsor and initiator of the API Summit Hospitality Forum, Radisson leverages this platform to engage directly with Africa’s leading investors and developers in hospitality and hotel real estate. The forum’s high-caliber audience and regional focus create targeted opportunities to connect private and public sector leaders, allowing us to share market expertise, identify strategic investments, and accelerate growth. Through these partnerships, we continue to shape the future of hospitality across the continent, reinforcing our position as one of Africa’s largest and fastest-growing hotel companies,” he explains.

Allan Wantenaar, Head of Business Development for Valor Hospitality Partners Africa, also emphasises the importance of a tailored, experience-driven approach for the hospitality market:

“Valor’s core strategy is our “whole world of local” approach: applying global best practices while adapting to local needs. This flexible, innovative model goes beyond simple hotel management. We support the entire development process from the ground up, ensuring each project is uniquely tailored for success.”

“We partner closely with owners and their project teams to optimize design, enhance food and beverage offerings through our dedicated entity, SAVOR by Valor, and manage mixed-use commercial elements. Our business model allows us to seamlessly manage properties under their own unique identity or any globally recognized international brand, acting as a single point of contact for owners.”

Wantenaar attributes Valor’s success to its staff, fostering a ‘Hotelitarian’ mindset, where employees are central to a culture of passionate service. This philosophy of “culture wrapped in commerciality” has been recognised with industry accolades, including, among others, the Top 10 Best Places to Work award.

“With this approach, owners and developers get more than just maximized returns; they get a partner who meticulously designs every detail to elevate the guest experience. We know that true hospitality is about the guest experience, not just a space—and that’s what truly drives commercial success,” he says.

Reflecting on the integral role of food and beverage (F&B) in enriching hospitality spaces, Simon Wright, Founder and Chairman of TGP International, underscores the growing demand for experience-led F&B concepts that drive not only commercial outcomes but also community and destination value.

“There is a growing demand for innovative, experience-led F&B concepts that create real value for communities, destinations and asset owners. At TGP International, we are recognised globally for our award-winning work that showcases how food and beverage can be a catalyst for long-term development and placemaking,” says Wright.

As an award-winning global hospitality agency that works closely with investors and stakeholders across hospitality, real estate and urban development, Wright says TGP International is well-positioned to collaborate on projects that deliver cultural, social and economic impact.

TGP International will showcase this value proposition at the API Summit, which Wright describes as the ideal platform for connecting with potential partners and exploring opportunities that will shape the future of hospitality across South Africa and the wider African continent.

Murray Anderson-Ogle, Head of Communications, Marketing, and Business Development at API Events, reinforces the strategic importance of Cape Town and the unique deal-making focus of the API Summit Hospitality Forum:

“Cape Town has established itself as the capital of Africa’s hotel market, offering a dynamic backdrop for investment and real project execution. The API Summit Hospitality Forum goes beyond traditional conferences.“

“In 2025, the Summit will not only highlight critical issues such as securing development sites and new-entry strategies in Cape Town and the Western Cape but will also actively enable banks, developers, funders, and operators to collaborate and turn projects from vision into reality. This intentional bridging of real estate and hospitality disciplines fast-tracks transactions and delivers concrete results. Simply put, the API Summit is where Africa’s next big deals are made.”