Hyatt Hotels Corporation, the US hospitality giant plans to open new hotels in Africa including in the East African region to serve the growing demand for accommodation and conference services.

Hyatt executives said the hotel is seeking locations and partners in East, West and Southern Africa. The firm is eyeing among other countries Kenya, Ethiopia, Senegal and Tanzania.

Hyatt joins Starwood Hotels and Resorts, Kempinsiki and Rezidor Hotel Group in the scramble for a stake in Africa’s lucrative hotel industry. Hyatt Hotels Corporation has entered into an agreement with ASB Holdings Ltd to open two Hyatt-branded hotels in Tanzania and one in Dakar by 2016.

The initial construction on the Hyatt Regency Arusha will begin this month with the hotel to open in 2014.

“We are actively looking for opportunities in cities such as Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Lagos, Accra, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Luanda. We see the greatest opportunity in the four and five star markets,” said Peter Norman, senior vice president, real estate and development, for Hyatt in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.