South Africa's first registered hotelier and the person responsible for introducing and starting the Holiday Inn hotel chain in SA, Fred Gottgens, died at the age of 83 on Friday September 19, after a long battle with cancer.
Born August 18, 1931, Fred came from a family of successful hoteliers and leaves behind a legacy that revolutionised the South African hotel industry into what it is today.
In 1951 Fred completed his hotel training at École Hôtelière Lausanne in Switzerland, followed by an apprenticeship at various renowned hotels in Switzerland and the Royal Automobile Club in London.
Returning to SA in 1955, he joined the Edward Hotel in Durban as a reservations clerk. In 1961 he held his first managerial position at the Riviera On Vaal hotel in Vereeniging and six months later he became the general manager at the Marine Hotel in Sea Point. When the Marine Hotel burned down in the latter part of 1962, Fred returned to the Edward Hotel as general manager.
In 1966 the Hotel Act came into law in South Africa, requiring hotels to be registered. “I have Fedhasa certificate number one, in his name, as the first five-star hotelier in South Africa, proudly on my office wall,” said Pete Gottgens, Fred’s son and fourth-generation hotelier.
In 1967 Fred went to America where he got the licence to bring the Holiday Inn hotel chain to South Africa. A year later he became operations director for Holiday Inn Southern Africa and in 1982 developed Inn on the Square from an office block in Greenmarket Square, Cape Town. Fred also suggested the idea of a flea market at Greenmarket Square which still runs today as a popular tourist attraction.
Fred lived in Simon’s Town since 2000 and was retired at the time of his death. “He retired a few times. After Holiday Inn he retired then his retirement project became Inn On The Square until he had another idea. At one stage he had five Mike’s Kitchens,” said Pete.
Fred leaves his second wife, Bydie, son Pete and daughter Kate and two stepsons, Grant and Andrew. There will be a funeral service Friday, September 26, at 11h00 at St Francis Church in Simon’s Town.
