The Protea Hospitality Group and its respective hotel owner partners are currently undergoing the largest refurbishment programme ever undertaken across its network in South Africa and Zambia.
Protea Hospitality Group ceo, Arthur Gillis, says the upgrade programme reflects not only the need to stay current in a competitive market but also confidence in South Africa as regional travel hub.
Twelve Protea Hotels – five in the Western Cape, three in KwaZulu Natal, two in Gauteng, one in the Eastern Cape and one in Zambia – have recently completed refurbishments or are in the midst of them this year.
Two of the most ambitious are at the Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge in Cape Town and the Protea Hotel Marine in Port Elizabeth at costs of R50 million and R30 million respectively.
At the urban chic Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town, 12 new semi self-catering loft-style executive suites have been added, as well as a spa.
Another addition to the Protea Hospitality Group is the Southern Belle, a luxury floating hotel and conference centre on Lake Kariba in Zambia. The steamboat-styled ship underwent extensive refurbishment last year and now features 22 luxurious en-suite cabins. The Protea Hotel Southern Belle also features a multi-use conference room for up to 40 people, a boutique, restaurant and bar, swimming pool and a top deck with comfortable lounges and a bar.
The other hotels in the refurbishment programme are:
• The Protea Hotel Hilton in the KwaZulu Natal Midlands;
• Protea Hotel Edward on Durban’s golden mile;
• The Protea Hotel Imperial in Pietermaritzburg;
• Protea Hotel Cape Castle overlooking the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town;
• Protea Hotel Victoria Junction in the heart of Cape Town’s trendy Green Point;
• The Protea Hotel President on Cape Town’s Platinum Mile;
• The Protea Hotel Wanderers in the north of Johannesburg; and
• The Protea Hotel Waterfront Centurion in Pretoria.
