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Mossel Bay’s newest hotel – The Point Village Hotel – has opened for business in the historic heart of the Southern Cape’s quaint harbour town.

“The Point Village has been a favourite family holiday destination for generations, and this hotel aims to continue that tradition,” said the owner and developer of the property, Albert Wiffen.

“The atmosphere is ‘chic yesterday blended with modern today,’ and we’ve gone for a philosophy of ‘never judge a room by its price’,” he said. (more…)

City Lodge Fourways, the 45th hotel in the City Lodge Hotels group, has opened 111 of its 211 rooms and will have all of its rooms operational by March 4.

Situated opposite the Monte Casino entertainment complex in Fourways, Northern Johannesburg, the hotel has already attracted a regular flow of business and leisure guests since opening its first rooms in mid December. (more…)

The Rezidor Hotel Group extends and broadens the partnership agreement with Mvelaphanda Holdings (Pty) Ltd, South Africa. Their existing Joint Venture covering the management of the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town will be extended to all existing and future Rezidor hotels in South Africa, Lesotho and Swaziland, and will cover all Rezidor brands.

“Mvelaphanda as a black empowered company and significant player on the South African market is the ideal partner for Rezidor’s operational business and development in the region”, comments Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor. “We recently have inaugurated a new Regional Office in Cape Town under the leadership of Maarten Van Den Nieuwenhuijsen, Regional Director Southern Africa. This office launch and agreements like the one with Mvelaphanda bring us closer to our owners, and further strengthen our leading position in the African market and our future development”, continues Ritter. Rezidor’s global long term strategy includes a strong focus on emerging markets like the African continent where the group currently has 28 hotels with more than 5,800 rooms in operation and under development across the region, and sees a huge potential for further projects. (more…)

Local hotel magnate and Mantis CEO, Adrian Gardiner aims to mark one of the famous events in turbulent pre-democracy history of the country with his latest development project – a R75 million boutique hotel at the site of the famous Liliesleaf farm.  Liliesleaf and the subsequent raid – is uniquely connected with the Rivonia Trail which focused world attention on South Africa –  came to represent and symbolise the essence of the liberation struggle. The media surrounding the Rivonia Trial and the harsh sentencing of 8 of the 10 accused catapulted the atrocities of the apartheid system permanently onto the international stage.  The 10 trialists consisting of Nelson Mandela, Walter Sisulu, Dennis Govan Mbeki, Dennis Goldberg, James Kantor, Lionel Bernstein,  Andrew Mlangeni, Elais Motsoaledi, Ahmed Kathrada and Raymond Mhlaba became international icons for the struggle against an oppressive regime.  Arthur Goldreich and Harold Wolpe (a leading member of the SACP) escaped the sentencing by breaking out of Marshall Square in Johannesburg after bribing a police officer. Their escape was symbolically very important, as it showed the Apartheid government that the raid has not “crushed” the ANC as a viable liberation movement. (more…)

The Square Boutique Hotel & Spa, a brand new Three Cities hotel, opens in the heart of the Umhlanga during April/May 2010. The hotel was planned within a vibrant, active mix of retail and commercial properties, designed with synergy and natural cool colours to create the perfect atmosphere for relaxation.

A mere 30 min drive from Durban International Airport, 20 min from the new King Shaka airport, a stone’s throw away from Gateway Theatre of Shopping, Umhlanga and La Lucia office parks, and 15min from Durban central, this long anticipated new hotel is situated in a prime location among the energetic hustle and bustle of Umhlanga Ridge. (more…)

City Lodge Fourways has opened the first 61 of its 211 rooms to become the 45th hotel in the JSE-listed City Lodge Hotels group.

Work began on the R120-million development in the first quarter of this year and the hotel, which is being opened in phases, is scheduled to be fully operational by March 2010.

Situated opposite Montecasino entertainment complex in Fourways, northern Johannesburg, the hotel is expected to attract both leisure and business travellers. (more…)

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Artist impression of Hilton Windhoek in Namibia

The hotel promises guests a distinctive hospitality experience that has been the trademark of Hilton Hotels worldwide, and will feature all day dining and specialty restaurants, a lobby bar, meeting facilities, an executive lounge, as well as a swimming pool and spa.

“We are excited to bring our style, world class service and directional approach to Namibia and specifically Windhoek, a new country and capital city for us. Hilton is our company’s flagship brand and serves more countries than any other full service hotel brand. We are proud to welcome guests in capital cities around the world,” said Dave Horton, Global Head, Hilton Hotels.

Namibia is bordered by five countries; South Africa in the south, Angola and Zambia in the north, with Botswana and Zimbabwe in the east. The Atlantic Ocean is located to the west. Tourism is one of the largest contributors to the country’s GDP alongside, mining, fishing and agriculture. Namibia offers travellers exotic wildlife, scenic beauty, as well as sport and adventure activities.

“Our dream to build the first globally branded hotel in Namibia is now being realised, with the signing of this management agreement between United Africa Group and Hilton Worldwide. We wanted to work with a globally recognised hotel brand that matches our ambition to provide world-class hotel facilities and services. Hilton was a natural first choice. We are delighted to be working together, and look forward to a long and fruitful relationship,” said Haddis Tilahun, CEO, United Africa Group.

Emirates moved to further cushion passengers from travel weariness yesterday by officially opening a brand new luxury lounge in Johannesburg.

Leather armchairs, complimentary gourmet chef prepared food, refreshing drinks, reading material and shower facilities now await premium passengers at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, courtesy of the award winning airline.

This is Emirates’ first exclusive lounge in Africa and the sixth to be opened this year on its ever broadening route network. Throughout 2009, lounges have opened in Hamburg, Manchester, Dusseldorf, Mumbai, Beijing, and in the months ahead Birmingham will come on stream, representing investment of more than Dhs 266 million (US$ 72 million).

Emirates' Lounge at Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International Airport, which was officially opened yesterday.

Luxury in the air and on the ground - The First Class Private Suite available on Emirates' flights between Dubai and Johannesburg, where the airline yesterday officially opened its first lounge in Africa.

Mohammed Mattar, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Airport Services, who was in Johannesburg for the opening, said: “At Emirates, we are constantly investing in the comfort of our passengers and rewarding loyalty by providing high quality service offerings. This lounge is another example of our dedication to offering the very best to our customers.”

The lounge, with seating for 135 guests, contains flat screen televisions for the latest TV news, an extensive collection of international and local newspapers, magazines and a state-of-the-art business centre with free internet access.

Dedicated lounge staff are on hand at the facility, located on the Mezzanine level of the airport’s Duty Free Mall, between boarding gates A4 and A7. It is open to Emirates’ First and Business Class passengers, along with Gold Skywards members.

Johannesburg becomes the 26th lounge on the Emirates’ route network. Dedicated lounges can also be enjoyed in Auckland, Bangkok, Beijing, Brisbane, Dubai (3), Dusseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Kuala Lumpur, London Gatwick, London Heathrow, Manchester, Melbourne, Mumbai, Munich, New York – JFK, Paris – Charles de Gaulle, Perth, Singapore, Sydney and Zurich.

The seamless premium service in the air and on the ground includes Emirates chauffeur-drive service, dedicated check in counters and priority baggage handling.

The Dubai-based carrier has launched two new routes in 2009, Durban and Luanda, and has so far promised two more for 2010, declaring Toyko for 28th March and Amsterdam from 1st May. More new destinations are in the pipeline.

This month, the airline is expecting delivery of two further A380s, deploying them to Seoul on 14th December and Paris two weeks later. The number of super-jumbos in the fleet will then rise to seven.

In keeping with the climate of change, the recently renamed Radisson Blu Hotel in Cape Town has refurbished eleven sea-facing suites as well as all fifty-seven Business Class rooms.

Not only are they exceptionally contemporary and stylish, but each luxurious suite has been geared towards minimizing wastage by way of design. In order to be economical and environmentally friendly, each suite has been fitted with water efficient baths and shower heads, keeping water usage to a minimum without taking from the experience. Fitted energy saving low-watt light bulbs, paired with power-cutting access key cards enable electricity usage to be kept to an absolute minimum. Apart from that, the balcony door sensors ensure that the air conditioning unit is deactivated when they are opened.

Christopher Pike, General Manager: Radisson Blu Cape Town adds, “The Rezidor Hotel Group is committed to good environmental practices and continues to incorporate this wherever possible. Here at the Cape Town Hotel, these luxury suites and rooms are the ultimate get-away, boasting unparalleled views of the breathtaking Atlantic seaboard and Robben Island.

Other amenities include movies on demand, which can be viewed on the brand new 42” LCD screens fitted in each lounge area, as well as the smaller 32” LCD screens in each bedroom.

Commenting on the idea behind the look and feel, Paul Luck from Arkiteckto Lightspace said, “Our challenge was to create a hotel experience which matched the uniqueness of the location.  Fresh colours, quality materials and an exciting blend of modern and classic design elements have been combined to give the guest the ultimate experience of luxury.”

Amarula, the worlds leading cream, is bringing African hospitality to the new Cape Town International Airport, which was launched earlier this month. Domestic Departures received an extensive revamp with a new cosy, afro-centric lounge which embodies the world class brand – creating a welcome space for local and international visitors.

Travellers in transit are entertained with plasma screens with the latest Amarula news and with the new stylish Rhapsody’s positioned directly opposite the lounge, guests can sip comfortably on the Spirit of Africa.

Making use of bold wooden stumps, textured couches and embroidered ottomans; the lounge adds to the new look of the airport building. “What better way than to enjoy an Amarula on ice when waiting for your next flight, especially if you can do so in comfort,” commented Werner Swanepoel, Group Marketing Manager for Amarula. “The lounge offers another unique opportunity for consumers to interact with the brand and as an official licensed product for the forthcoming 2010 FIFA World Cup, it’s great to give locals and visitors a taste of what’s to come.”

The lounge is open to all travellers passing through the domestic departure terminals and they are encouraged to come and experience the Spirit of Africa.