Luxury safaris are booming — and big hotel brands like Marriott want in

• Hotel companies like Marriott are looking to capitalize on the booming popularity of luxury safaris.
• Marriott plans to launch two Ritz-Carlton and JW Marriott-branded safari lodges over the next year.
• The first Ritz-Carlton property is expected to have 20 suites starting at $2,646 per night.

Wealthy travelers are increasingly checking off the African “Big Five” from their must-see travel bucket lists. Marriott International wants to help — by launching two luxury safari camps in Kenya, including a first for Ritz-Carlton.

In the luxe travel world, safaris aren’t just about seeing zebras and elephants. At Marriott’s coming Ritz-Carlton Masai Mara and JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve properties, guests can expect suites with private pools, restaurants on stargazing decks, and spa treatments — in addition to game drives, of course.

The hotel giant’s safari conquest began with the 2023 launch of its first $1,554-per-night JW Marriott lodge on the same national reserve it’s now eyeing for Ritz-Carlton. However, it’s not the only hospitality giant looking to capitalize on the influx of wildlife-seeking travelers.

A crop of new camps and lodges have been opening across African hot spots. This includes the January launch of competitor Hyatt’s Hyatt Regency Nairobi Westlands, its first Kenyan hotel a few hours’ drive from surrounding reserves and parks.

A few months prior, celebrity-favorite luxury lodge chain Singita also welcomed two new properties, all while experiencing 80% to 90% occupancy rates throughout 2024, a spokesperson told Business Insider in an email at the time.

Now, Ritz-Carlton wants to position itself as another luxury player — by wooing deep-pocketed travelers with 20 suites and comforts like butler services, balconies with infinity pools, and Diptyque Paris toiletries.

The coming property is scheduled to open in August, about 1½ hours from JW Marriott, closer to the border of Tanzania’s Serengeti National Park. Accommodations start at $2,646 per night for a 1,755-square-foot suite, while the largest four-bedroom Presidential Suite is more than 6½ times the price.

In between game drives, guests can leisurely explore the camp’s photo studio, map room, wellness center, outdoor gym, and pool. For meals, the primary restaurant plans to have a wine cellar, stargazing and dining decks, and a boma, or a traditional outdoor corral.

As for the second JW Marriott lodge, scheduled to open in early 2026 in the Solio Game Reserve, guests can expect to see wildlife via guided tours (including by horseback), a camouflage viewing structure, quad bikes, and stops at a rhino orphanage.

Like its Ritz-Carlton counterpart, the property is set to have high-end touches like wellness facilities, four restaurants, and 20 guest tents, each with a private pool.

The developments come after Marriott’s luxury arm said it planned to introduce several brands to the African safari lodge business in 2025.

Over the last few years, the hotel giant has grown its luxury portfolio to meet rising demand for high-end vacations. As of December 2024, Marriott oversees about 530 luxury properties, with another 260 currently in development.

More than 30 are scheduled to open in 2025 — including the coming Ritz-Carlton lodge.