African Hotel Group Cresta Hotels launch a new property in Cape Town
Cresta Hotels Group Executive, Chipo Mandela said Cresta Grande was formally opened on Thursday April 15, aimed at leisure and business travellers in the four-star market.
The hotel is a 19-storey building in the Cape Town CBD, originally built as an office block in the late 1970s and situated on an historic street that was once the forefront of the city along the shore of Table Bay. In 2009 the office block was converted by owners, The Leisure Group into a hotel, a status it has carried to this day.
“We are excited about this development, which further enhances Cresta Hotels’ already-significant presence across Southern Africa,” said Ms. Mandela.
Cresta Hotels is well-established in the southern African travel and tourism sector, already operating 17 other hotels in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
Cresta has recently signed a lease agreement with The Leisure Group and has rebranded the hotel as Cresta Grande. The hotel has 242 stylish bedrooms, a series of conference and banqueting rooms, a 24-hour café, bar and lounge, gymnasium, sauna and steam room, covered and access-controlled parking area and outdoor swimming pool with sundeck.
It is situated at the corner of Loop and Strand streets, close to the commercial centre of Cape Town, as well as a range of visitor attractions, including the world-famous V& A Waterfront. Strand Street was originally the first street of the city along the shoreline, but reclamation over the past century or so created the waterfront area further off.
In addition to being close to so many commercial and tourist sites, Cresta Grande has superb views of Signal Hill, Table Mountain and across the city, and is not only conveniently sited but also uniquely placed to give both scenic enjoyment and convenience to guests.
The hotel is well-appointed, requiring very little refurbishment of amenities, and the main work has involved introducing new branding and systems. The general manager of the hotel is Jean Pierre Moggee, who has 16 years background in South Africa’s hospitality industry.
“Today’s launch of Cresta Grand Cape Town Hotel is testimony to the investor confidence in the city and the province, and we’re honoured that Cape Town and the Western Cape has been selected as the first destination in South Africa for Cresta Hotels to lay its roots. With domestic travel on track and the prediction for international travel to gain momentum from October onwards, we wish the team a prosperous start in the Mother City, and look forward to seeing the group expand their footprint into the rest of South Africa,” commented Monika Iuel, Wesgro’s Chief Marketing Officer.
Cresta is not new to South Africa, it operated the Master Franchise for Best Western Brand for Southern Africa in the mid-90s before exiting to focus on other African markets. In addition, Cresta is a well-positioned brand in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, operating for decades and we believe will be part of the South African travel and tourism scene, this time, in one of the most popular tourist centres in the southern hemisphere,” said Ms. Mandela, adding that the group now offered more than 1 500 rooms in its 17 properties.
“We believe the Cresta Grande will be popular with visitors from across Southern Africa, as well as from the international market, with these international travellers being able to link with other Cresta properties in key tourist destinations such as Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and the Okavango Delta in Botswana” concludes Ms. Mandela.
