Cape Town - A new hotel, the Cresta Grande, opened its doors on Thursday, bucking a trend that has seen a number of businesses in the hospitality trade close as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cresta Hotels group executive, Chipo Mandela, said the hotel, which has taken up the building that until recently housed the Holiday Inn on the corner of Loop and Strand streets, was aimed at leisure and business travellers in the four-star market.
Asked whether opening a new hotel at this time was not a risk, Mandela said: “It is the desire to grow. We know that the pandemic is still with us, but we are not in it for the short term, we are taking a long-term view on our investment in Cape Town.
“We’re looking at growing not only this business, but all our businesses tenfold within the next five years. We’re very optimistic about how things will turn out. What makes it exciting is that we’re coming into Cape Town, which is one of the prime markets, not only in southern Africa but across the continent and the world.”
Cape Town Tourism has said it is feeling cautiously optimistic as a number hotels open in the Mother City and new hotel groups arrive. The organisation’s trade and partnership manager, Carel Stadler, said: “We applaud Cresta Hotels for taking such a bold step at a time that is so difficult for the hospitality industry.”
Cape Town Tourism spokesperson Briony Brookes said: “To be honest, it’s been tough to remain positive during this time. However, there are a number of things that have happened or are currently happening that allow us to feel cautiously optimistic.
“This includes the fact that we’re seeing a few new hotels open up and even new hotel groups coming into the city. This, plus the consumer sentiment shows that people are itching to travel again, and we as an industry are delighted to see it.
“On the international front, the roll-out of vaccine programmes in various countries is a positive sign for the return of international travel. For many in the industry, these programmes hold the promise of more visitors coming to our shores before the end of this year and thus many in the industry are preparing for this.”
Speaking elsewhere, Mayco member for Economic Opportunities and Asset Management and Tourism, James Vos, said: “It’s exceptionally important to us to see this positive sentiment around travel to Cape Town as we continue to work with organisations such as Cape Town Tourism to ensure that businesses and the industry are ready to welcome visitors back to Cape Town in a safe and responsible manner.”
Cape Argus