Black economic empowerment (BEE) company Akani Leisure Investments has taken over the Halcyon Hotels Group — which includes in its portfolio the prestigious Bay hotel and Blues restaurant in Camps Bay.
The acquisition represents the first major empowerment transaction at the top end of the Western Cape hospitality industry. Akani, the first wholly black-owned leisure and hospitality management group, has Reuel Khoza, chairperson of Eskom, as chairperson of its board.
In a statement, Rob Williams– MD of Akani Hotels and executive director of ALI — said on Wednesday the acquisition provides a complementary cultural fit with the group’s hotels, which is a joint venture with the Three Cities Group.
“In acquiring the Halcyon Group, Akani Hotels have assembled some of the Western Cape’s finest three-, four- and five-star establishments under one roof. Our management portfolio in the Western Cape now includes the Bay hotel, the Lady Hamilton hotel in Gardens, Mountain Shadows in Paarl, the Silvermist Mountain Lodge in Constantia, as well as South African National Parks concessions to be developed in Koeël Bay and the Glen in Camps Bay,” said Williams.
Akani’s flagships in Gauteng are the Gold Reef City Casino hotel and the Gold Reef Conference Centre in Johannesburg and the Linden Road hotel development in Sandton. In KwaZulu-Natal, Akani manages the Richards hotel at Richards Bay and has been awarded concessions for Ndolozi Game Park and Perriers Rock in the Greater St Lucia Wetland Park.
It has also been awarded the Eastern Cape Tourism Board concession to manage Mvubu Lodge on the Fish River.
The chief operating officer of the Halcyon Group, Chris Bertie, will oversee operations in the Western Cape. This includes the management of a staff complement of 300 employees operating the Bay hotel and leading restaurants such as Blues, Baraza, Eclipse and Clifton Beach House.
Halcyon hotels was started by Steve and Nicki Fitzgerald in 1981.
The ALI group is a holding company that includes Akani Leisure Investment gaming company owning 50% of Akani Egoli — a holding company of Gold Reef City Casino and Gold Reef City Theme Park — and Akani Leisure Casinos, Akani Leisure Hotels and Resorts and Akani Leisure Hotels Management Company. — I-Net Bridge