Johannesburg - The construction contract valued at about R625 million including VAT for the final phase of the R870m Houghton Hotel has been awarded to listed construction group Stefanutti Stocks.
The final phase comprises the construction of a luxury 143 room and suite hotel and residential club overlooking the Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. The earlier phases comprised the development of 210 luxury apartments, The Houghton on 12th and The Houghton on 7th, which were sold for a total of more than R2 billion.
The hotel is the “hinge” linking the two apartment blocks on either side. Andrew Morris, a director of Echo Project Managers, the project managers for the development, said the earliest stages of construction had already been completed, with bulk earthworks, natural support and piling all installed.
On track
“We are well on track for the launch of the first hotel units in late next year with The Houghton Hotel opening its doors in 2018,” he said.
Morris said Stefanutti Stocks’ excellent track record in the hospitality industry made the company a natural choice to complete the hotel, which once completed would be one of the most luxurious establishments in South Africa.
Dietmar Scriba, the managing director at Stefanutti Stocks Building Inland, said the company was awarded the contract through a process of amicable negotiations where an innovative contracting structure was concluded to suit this particular project.
Morris said that the opening was set to be a grand occasion for South Africa’s hospitality industry because The Houghton Hotel promised to offer accommodation comparable to the best six- and seven-star establishments in the world.
The hotel will have 55 rentable hotel rooms and six suites plus 82 serviced hotel suites that would be sold. Rentable accommodation will be offered in three different room types, ranging in size from 50m2 to 145m2. The serviced hotel suites will range in size from 90m2 to a penthouse of up to 790m2.
Morris said almost 90 percent of the suites had already been sold, with only a few of the larger units still remaining.
The hotel will be internally managed but marketed by the Leading Hotels of the World.
Exclusive
Deniz Omurgonulsen, the vice-president of membership at Leading Hotels of the World, said a number of factors had earned the hotel entry into this exclusive club.
These included its park-like setting in Johannesburg’s greenbelt, proximity to Johannesburg’s top shopping and business districts and the overall luxuriousness of The Houghton Hotel experience, he said. The hotel was designed by architects Boogertman & Partners.
Its signature feature is a cascading, terraced water feature set into jungle-like vegetation, which swirls into a waterfall and plunges into a large, circular swimming pool that is complemented by a tidal pool.
Other facilities include a contemporary delicatessen for residents and guests, a fine dining restaurant that has three private dining rooms and menus inspired by the late top chef Billy Gallagher, a Sky Bar, hair and nail bar, gymnasium, spa, heated indoor pool, dry cleaner, a business centre with fully equipped boardrooms and a guest services centre.
The Houghton Hotel is about 18km away from OR Tambo International Airport, well located between Sandton and the Johannesburg central business district and surrounded by a lot of shopping and business areas.
The redesign of the golf course was the first phase of the redevelopment of the estate.
The development was initially launched in 2008 but was subsequently postponed because of the global financial crisis.
Stefanutti shares were unchanged yesterday at R4.
BUSINESS REPORT