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Andrew McLachlan has been appointed as Managing Director, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa at Hilton
Hilton has appointed Andrew McLachlan to the role of Managing Director, Development, Sub-Saharan Africa. He joins the company with over 30 years' experience of the African hospitality market in Operations and Development roles and will oversee its ambitious growth plans in the region. He will work closely with the teams we have in place in Dubai, Cape Town and Nairobi to drive hotel growth, building on the milestone we reached last year of 100 properties trading and under development on the continent. Having begun his career as an F&B Trainee in 1990, McLachlan's passion for hospitality saw him take on his first General Manager position in Johannesburg seven years later. He subsequently took on a number of senior corporate roles within major hotel chains in South Africa before focusing his career on Development where he has subsequently worked on projects in markets across 32 countries in Africa. McLachlan will be based in Hilton's Development office in Cape Town, South Africa, leading a team of Developers working across the region. Hilton has 46 hotels open in Africa across 6 brands with 57 further properties in the pipeline.
Calvin Poole has been appointed as Executive Chef at Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore
Mitchells Plain-born chef Calvin Poole (27) has worked and served in the culinary industry and a focused innovation leader for the past 9 years.His passion for cooking started at home, helping his mother out with meal preparations at dinner time. It was at the age of 12 that Poole dreamt of working as a chef one day. In doing so, he watched cooking programmes of TV of the likes of Jamie Oliver and Martin Yan.Poole is excited to join Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Foreshore as of March 2020 where he regards his new position as a "learning environment for everyone". He sees the hotel's kitchen as an innovative space for his staff where they can increase their knowledge and skills about food, while also making the kitchen a "passionate food hub".If that's not all, Poole is looking to cook up a storm in the kitchen with some "homely and hearty quality food" - with a twist.
Africa’s first design-led hybrid hotel has landed in Cape Town
The first design-led hybrid hotel in Africa has opened its doors in Cape Town - and it's all down to one of the continent's youngest and most successful tourism entrepreneurs, Bheki Dube.
AC Hotels By Marriott® Brings Signature Thought Leadership Series To Africa For The First Time
AC Hotels, the carefully curated lifestyle brand from Marriott International marked the African debut of the global thought leadership series, AC Unpacked at AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront on 26 September with a lively panelist discussion between local experts shaping the world of Art and Design in The Mother City.
Canopy by Hilton Set to Debut in Africa
Hilton (NYSE:HLT) (www.Hilton.com) announced the signing of a management agreement with Growthpoint Properties, South Africa's largest REIT, to open a hotel under its lifestyle Canopy by Hilton brand. The 150 guestroom Canopy by Hilton Cape Town Longkloof is expected to begin welcoming guests in 2021 and will be the brand's debut property in Africa.
HVS Market Pulse: Cape Town
Cape Town is one of the most multicultural cities in the world, reflecting its role as a major destination for immigrants and expatriates to South Africa. As of 2018, the city had an estimated population of 4.5 million. The CTICC CEO Julie-May Ellingson has announced a R900m CTICC 2 development, this planned all glass sky bridge between the two parts of Cape Town International Convention Centre could become the mother city’s latest tourist attraction.
By Lolwethu Luthuli, Intern Research Consultant, Cape Town, HVS
Fountains Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa Rebrands as Best Western Fountains Hotel
Best Western Hotels & Resorts and Fountains Hotel in Cape Town announce the rebranding of the Fountains Hotel.
Gorgeous George opens in Cape Town
Berlin - Flinging open its doors in the heart of downtown Cape Town, Gorgeous George emerges as a springboard for hyper-local immersion in the city's pulse-quickening creative scene. Housed across two heritage buildings, the 32-room hotel provides a high-style platform for established and emerging South African artists and designers, resulting in an authentic aesthetic that avoids any hint of African design cliché. Throw in an intriguing architectural narrative that combines Edwardian elegance with sleek industrial styling, a spectacular rooftop space complete with a buzzing bar, restaurant, and swimming pool, and you have the Mother City's most thrilling new social hub. www.designhotels.com/gorgeous-george
Onomo Hotels announce Waterfront Acquisition
African hotel group ONOMO Hotels have announced the addition of their second Cape Town property, Signature Lux Waterfront by ONOMO, into their portfolio. The recently-launched hotel brings a new competitor to the Cape Town CBD and popular Waterfront area.
Cape Town’s Tourism Figures Indicate Steady Recovery
Figures released by Cape Town's big attractions, Cape Town International Airport and STR's Destination Report indicate mixed performance for December 2018. The second half of the year has shown that the city's recovery in terms of tourism is stabilising, notwithstanding a poor performance in the early part of 2018.
AC Hotels by Marriott opens first hotel in Middle East and Africa in South Africa’s Mother City
AC Hotels by Marriott (ACHotels.Marriott.com), Marriott International's (www.Marriott.com) European-inspired lifestyle brand, today announced the opening of AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront marking the debut of the brand in Middle East and Africa. Owned and developed by the Amdec Group, the hotel demonstrates the sophisticated and timeless European design that is true to the AC Hotel brand, interpreted for its Cape Town location. Conveniently located just minutes away from the buzzing Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, the hotel is just a 25-minute drive from Cape Town International Airport within the city's thriving central business district.
Western Cape Hotels Rates Cheaper Since Drought
The average price of a hotel room in Cape Town is R65.19 cheaper per evening than it was a year ago this brings the average cost of a hotel room to R1 436.30 per evening. According to the Hotel Performance Index, released in September 2018 by provincial investment agency Wesgro, the price of a night in a four-star hotel room dropped by 5.2%.
The Celebrity Secret – Putting Cape Town On The A-list
If you are the kind of person who likes nothing more than to cuddle up on the couch with the latest edition of your favourite tabloid to find out what the schlebz are getting up to, you'll know the answer to the question, 'What do Miley and Idris have in common?' The answer, of course, is Cape Town.Both have been spotted, along with another A-lister, Vin Diesel, exploring the city. Milla Jovovich, Meagan Good and T.I. are also in Cape Town shooting the movie Monster Hunter. Meagan and T.I. were seen partying at local club Coco a few weeks ago. Many A-listers come to Cape Town as a result of the city's renown as a shoot location, but they frequently return to enjoy more leisure activities. After all, it's a city where you can play all day and never tire of discovering new spots to uncover or fresh activities to enjoy.Spot the celebrity - our version of Where's WallyMiley is reportedly here as part of the filming of Black Mirror, currently one of the world's most popular series; she's been spotted at the V&A Waterfront - Africa's most-visited attraction - but it's certain that fans will be trying to figure out where she's most likely to turn up next. Will it be at Shimmy Beach Club? Perhaps in an express queue at the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway. Your guess is as good as mine.Michael Jackson is a global icon who adored Cape Town, so much so that he wanted to have a statue of himself put up here, but he didn't need to: his footprint here alone is indelible. But th e reverse is true, too: it doesn't matter how well-known you are, this city leaves a bigger imprint on you than you do on it.The film industry is central to our ongoing economic growth. From TV ads to feature-length movies or music videos, the many quirky locations and remarkable natural surroundings make an ideal backdrop to any production. Locals here have grown used to seeing crews rigging up streets to capture scenes, and, despite the film industry being somewhat seasonal, many Capetonians enjoy being sustained in jobs by the opportunities it offers. Wesgro stated early in 2018 that they'd generated close to R2 billion for the 2017/2018 financial year by wooing film industry productions, and that 2,449 full-time equivalent jobs have been created in the Cape. Couple those figures with the income generated by those industry visitors in hotels, restaurants and retail and the cash injection is even greater.Hotels here are used to the discretion required to host A-listers; it takes a special venue to host a wealthy, well-known person and their entourage. The days of rock stars trashing rooms are something of legend - we don't see that at all here - what we do see are universal travellers in awe of the city. They want to explore as any of us do, travelling like locals into the immersive experiences on offer. For the most part, they're happy to take a few selfies with fans when spotted out and about, and locals are quite charming when it comes to being around celebrities: we know them from our screens, so we're almost like old friends, and that's a heartwarming exchange to watch.Mention that Idris Elba is in town and you'll hear your friends sigh, longingly. It seems remarkable that these global superstars choose our city to visit, almost as if they're… normal.I believe that these kinds of visits are a fantastic means of marketing Cape Town to a wider audience, as are the productions that take place here. They form part of the mystical narrative that Cape Town is a special place, which, of course, it is. Why not head here this summer? You never know who you could bump into.
By Avukile Mabombo, Group Marketing Manager, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Marriott
Seamless Experiences For Cape Town’s Visitors Echo Global Trend
Travel's latest trends have been announced at World Travel Market London, with South African businesses being mentioned at the trade show for their role in innovation within the sector.According to the Euromonitor Megatrends Report 2019, global inbound international arrivals are expected to grow by 5% to 1.4 billion trips in 2018. This amounts to total travel sales that are expected to reach almost US$2.5 trillion for the year - a figure that both inspires and tantalizes and speaks to the importance of attracting visitors according to those trends.Seamless experiencesThe report details travel trends ahead of 2019, pinpointing these regionally across the globe. One trend of relevance for the South African market is that of travellers seeking seamless experiences from start to finish. Innovators in this space include proximity payment specialists Snapchat, whose product has provided access to the market for SMEs locally since they can now provide a payment option that suits the digital-first market that speaks to the needs of their customers. It's ideal for a developing marketplace like South Africa's; it enables visitors to avoid having to carry cash and helps them to transact in a card-free environment.Apart from product innovations such as these, when it comes to seamless experiences, there's more to focus on: first of all, the visa and unabridged birth certificate situation needs to be resolved to remove barriers to access. This is an impediment that shouldn't exist in a market that's seeking to capitalise on growth opportunities - after all, the opportunities to encourage the global tourist to visit Cape town are clear - the city is a breathtaking environment that's perfectly suited to be one of the world's leading destinations. It's already gained a powerful reputation as such, for good reason, but we refuse to be satisfied with modest tourism figures; we want what is rightfully ours, teeming visitors enjoying a world-class visitor experience.There have been hitches in providing this, but the city has proven itself capable of overcoming challenges. Specifically, the drought that troubled locals and the tourism industry has been managed to the point that our dams are twice as full as they were last year, and that's just one indication that visitors needn't stay away - tourism businesses and locals have rolled out initiatives that are water-friendly, reducing their impact on water usage.Investor confidenceAnother trend that's relevant to South Africa is that of a middle class emerging within a developing nation that has a hunger for leisure and business travel. This market is on the rise. Rather than local travel companies only catering for wealthy, international visitors seeking high-end lodging, we're seeing the demand for low-cost carrier flights and more segmented accommodation growing to cater for this market. Fortunately, we're well-placed to offer both luxury, bespoke travel experiences as well as cost-friendly trips for the middle-class traveller. It helps that global reward programmes such as Marriott Rewards benefit both of these travel segments, enabling them to travel internationally and enjoy value-adds.This trend has led to the building of more hotel properties across the continent, a further indication that investors remain confident that tourism will continue to form a central part of our economy and that of other nations across Africa.The jewel of Africa - an immersive tourism experienceAs the Gateway to Africa (and to South Africa), Cape Town is a microcosm of the magic that exists on the continent, a place where cultures meet, and experiences enchant. It taps into another international trend - that of visitors seeking immersive experiences as they travel like locals. In other parts of the world, it's harder to track down those off-the-beaten-track adventures; here, you don't have to look hard to find them at all. You can taste cuisine you'll find nowhere else, hear music that's unique, see natural spaces that are unparalleled and enjoy a rich cultural and traditional heritage in a cosmopolitan, urbane environment.Cape Town has become a model city in terms of developing and maintaining a sustainable tourism strategy that's designed to last. It's no small thing that the city's representatives from the tourism industry and other private and public entities can attend a global trade event like WTM London and enjoy rubbing shoulders with other global travel icon representatives: we're as relevant and coveted on the global travel scene as cities such as New York, Berlin, Tokyo and Dubai. In terms of existing trends, we're not just meeting them, we are setting them.
By Danny Bryer, Area Director, Sales, Marketing and Revenue Management, Protea Hotels by Marriott, Marriott
Global Muslim travel sector projected to reach $183 billion by 2020
Telescopic vision in the tourism sector means that you can miss the bigger picture entirely. For example, while we fret about the challenges faced in the tourism industry in South Africa, we can overlook the growth opportunities that exist. One such opportunity is for South Africa to capitalise on Muslim tourism, especially since we have the capacity to grow our local appeal to this global audience.
By Enver Duminy, Chief Executive Officer, Cape Town Tourism
Angus Spurr has been promoted to Head of Operations: Rooms Division and Revenue Optimisation at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront, Cape Town
Angus Spurr has been appointed as the new Head of Operations: Rooms Division and Revenue Optimisation at the Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront in Cape Town, having previously been the hotel's Food and Drinks Manager. A born-and-bred South Africa, Spurr hails originally from Roosevelt Park in Johannesburg, and studied Hospitality Management at WITS Technicon. His career in the hospitality industry spans some 20 years, including eight years in the UK working for a variety of hotels.Spurr began his career in the industry with the Protea Group, his first position being Marketing Co-ordinator at the Protea Hotel Wanderers in Johannesburg from 2001 to 2003. Wanting to go into the operational side of the industry, he moved across to the position of Assistant Food and Beverage Manager where he stayed until 2005. A promotion then saw him become the Head of Department, Food and Beverage Management, at the Protea Hotel Gold Reef City. But, in 2006, the United Kingdom beckone d.From there, he moved on to the Novotel London Waterloo, where he continued in the role of Food and Beverage Manager - a position which developed into Operations Manager. While he considers his biggest achievement to be his family (he has a wife and three daughters who he credits for his success as being his "support system"), he quite unexpectedly says that his biggest learning moment was getting lost on a Leadership Course in Arthog, Wales.
Boldwin Barlow has been appointed as Executive Chef at Radisson Blu Le Vendome Hotel, Cape Town
At just 27 years of age, Boldwin Barlow has been appointed as the new Executive Chef at the luxurious Radisson Blu Le Vendome Hotel in Sea Point, Cape Town. Inspired by both French traditions and the local cuisine of his home region, Barlow's style shows a passion for bold innovation and a penchant for creative fusion.
AC by Marriott Cape Town, Waterfront opening later this year
Later this year, Marriott International will debut the AC by Marriott brand into Africa with the opening of the 188-room AC by Marriott Cape Town, Waterfront, conveniently located just minutes away from the buzzing Victoria & Alfred Waterfront and just a 25-minute drive from Cape Town International Airport. The company has also signed its second AC by Marriott hotel in Africa, AC by Marriott Umhlanga Ridge, Kwazulu Natal, Durban. The 205-room hotel will be a part of a mixed-use development comprised of offices and high-end residential apartments and boasts dramatic views of the Indian Ocean. Slated to open in 2023, the hotel is within easy access from major highways and in close proximity to the King Shaka International Airport.
Dominique van Wezop has been appointed as Head of Operations Food and Drink at Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront
Dominique van Wezop has a number of firsts to her career, in 2009 she was part of the opening team for the first dry hotel in Cape Town - Coral International. Now known as the Hilton Hotel on Buitengracht Street, she was promoted to Reservations, Groups and Events Manager. In 2014 she joined the first hotel in Africa to employ deaf people, Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Newlands. There Dominique was Promoted to Cluster Revenue Manager where she also oversaw the opening of Radisson Blu Le Vendome before being promoted to Operations Manager at Park Inn by Radisson Cape Town Newlands.