Cape Town’s central business district, which has already been the recipient of about 1 100 new hotel rooms in the past five years — in parallel to the construction and redevelopment of at least 30 commercial and mixed-use buildings — will be the site of at least nine more new hotels in the next two years, according to the Cape Town Partnership.
The Cape Town Partnership is a joint venture between private businesses and the city government to improve living conditions within the city. CEO Andrew Boraine said on Monday that the new hotels would add more diversity to the range of accommodation offered in the city, which currently spans the gamut from the 105-year-old colonial-style Mount Nelson to the quirky Train Lodge next to the Cape Town train station.
New hotels under construction include the Fountain Hotel at the site of the previous Medical Centre at the bottom of St George’s Mall, and the North Wharf
Protea Hotel near the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
Approximately R130-million is to be spent on a five-star hotel at the site of the old NGK Sinodesaal on Orange Street near the Planetarium. This hotel, which is due to open in 2007, will be managed by Protea Africa Pride, which also manages the Melrose Arch Hotel in Johannesburg.
Another new three-star hotel next to Relish restaurant near New Church Street will see construction commence in early 2006.
Long Street, Cape Town’s backpackers’ paradise, is stepping up a notch with Urban Chic — a new boutique hotel on the corner of Long and Pepper streets.
Further down Long Street, the Daddy Long Legs self-catering apartments are building on their success by developing another boutique hotel between Dorp and
Wale streets.
The 13 stylish rooms will be decorated by thirteen different local artists.
The Cape Diamond Hotel in the East City near Parliament is currently under construction. This new-look four-star hotel will have 60 rooms, a restaurant and bar, and an Art Deco style theatre-café in the basement. The opening of the Cape Diamond Hotel is planned for November 1.
Also in the pipeline is a five-star hotel at the top of St George’s Mall as part of Eurocape’s Mandela-Rhodes Place development, and the Adderley Hotel on the corner of Adderley and Longmarket streets.
Said Boraine: “The level of hotel development and refurbishment gives a good indication of the health of the tourism industry in the Cape Town Central City. It also builds a positive foundation in terms of planning for major events such as the Soccer World Cup in 2010.” – I-Net Bridge