Billion Group’s Mayfair Hotel in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, has just been awarded a four-star grading.
There are only a handful of properties in the area which has received such a grading.
Billion Group CEO, Sisa Ngebulana, who grew up in the region, began investing in Mthatha two years ago, with the development of the first major shopping mall in the region. The cost of Ngebs City Mall cost around R1.4 billion (€90 million), and was named after Ngebulana’s grandfather.
The Mayfair Hotel, Ngebulana believes, brings affordable luxury into the region. It adjoins the mall, and work set to start on another first for the region later this year, as a R150 million (€9.65 million) casino, entertainment complex and state of the art cinemas gets under way.
“I have a passion for the Eastern Cape and, of course, for Mthatha. I was born there,” said Ngebulana, adding that he was delighted with the four-star grading as the attention to the hotel’s design and detail were carefully considered and executed.
“Mthatha has huge buying power and a lot of economic potential. The Mayfair will attract patronage from business and governmental travellers who frequent the area.”
He added that, in the past, Mthatha had experienced a shortage of local accommodation, with many visitors having to travel to neighbouring towns and cities.
“The Mayfair is intended to ease this pressure,” he said. “During its construction, more than 700 jobs were created and there are now 200 permanent jobs at the hotel. Those were in addition to the more than 3 000 jobs created by the construction of the mall,” said Ngebulana.
Billion Group Commercial Director, Vuyokazi Njongwe, who was intimately involved in the construction of the hotel, said: “It is so exciting to get this four-star grading… I’m delighted that we can bring something like this to Mthatha. It is my home town and therefore a place that is very close to my heart.”
The hotel comprises 96 rooms, including a luxury three-bedroom penthouse suite, a two-bedroom presidential suite, two executive suites, as well as bed and breakfast suites.
There are also several well-appointed conference halls.
SA Tourism CEO Sisa Ntshona described the hotel as a coup for tourism in the region. “We applaud Sisa Ngebulana’s investment in the Eastern Cape. Having a four-star hotel in Mthatha is not only good for the region and for business, but also for tourism.”
Attending the grand opening of the hotel in May, Ntshona told attendees: “Tourism is the new gold, and its impact goes far beyond the establishments themselves [with downstream economic benefits]. It is not just about leisure, but increasingly about business and conferences. Business tourism is becoming increasingly relevant.”
Mayfair Hotel General Manager, Joseph Mgobhozi, said: “We strive for excellence and the awarding of a four-star grading for this hotel endorses our commitment to being the best in the region…We have the right people in the right positions, with a right balance on ethnicity and gender diversity that assists us meet all our guests’ needs at all levels of our operations.”
The government is also upgrading the shopping mall and hotel precinct opposite the Mthatha Stadium, located along the soon-to-be constructed N2 bypass. It sits in the heart of the Mthatha CBD, Kwezi, Mbuqe and the industrial area, Vulindlela Heights and is part of Ngebulana’s R16 billion (€1 billion) investment earmarked in the next 10 years for Mthatha, East London and Port Elizabeth.
