Hotel giant Marriott International recently revealed plans for the opening of three properties in South Africa’s port city of Cape Town, and the project comes with a lot of firsts.

In partnership with property development company Amdec Group, Marriott International will build three new hotels in Cape Town, firmly situating the city among the world’s top destinations. The first hotel will be under the signature brand, Marriot Hotels, the first Marriott hotel in Cape Town. The second will be under the company’s brand Residence Inn by Marriott, the first for South Africa. The third hotel will be under the upper-moderate lifestyle brand, AC Hotels, the first hotel under this brand for the Middle East and Africa. These three hotels mark only the beginning of Marriott International’s plans for South Africa, which include presence in 27 countries, more than 200 hotels and more than 37,000 rooms by 2025.

Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director of the Middle East and Africa, Marriott International, described the company’s ambitious plans: “The significance of this announcement for both the city of Cape Town and for South Africa cannot be underestimated. The developments in both Cape Town and Johannesburg confirm the country’s importance to the international travel market — for both the business and leisure traveler.”