The Sa Directory Issue

THE SA DIRECTORY ISSUE

ISSUE 123: JANUARY 2018 www.businesstravellerafrica.co.za [8716]_TTS_Business Traveller Advert.indd 2 2016/10/12 10:48:30 AM [8716]_TTS_Business Traveller Advert.indd 2 2016/10/12 10:48:30 AM 06

2 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za Contents

22 24 30

34 36 38 COUNTRY PROFILES

06 Johannesburg

22 Pretoria

24 Cape Town

30 Durban 40 42 34 Port Elizabeth 36 East London

38 Polokwane

40 Nelspruit

42 Kimberley

44 George 44 46 46 Bloemfontein

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 3 ED’S LETTER

nchartered business travel offers up a unique set of challenges, and if you’re embarking on PUBLISHER U a trip for the first time, particularly if it’s to a Richard Lendrum destination you’ve never visited, the smart approach involves doing your research, gathering as much information as possible, and ideally engaging those with EDITOR Dylan Rogers first-hand experience of the destination in question. [email protected] That’s whether or not you’re the actual traveller or the booker/agent tasked with making this trip happen. Fortunately, there is so much information now available JOURNALIST on the internet that one can gather a fair amount of Kate Kennedy intelligence, canvas reviews etc, to ensure you leave home confident that you know what you’re getting in to. But DESIGN AND LAYOUT that can take time – time that a lot of business travellers Nadette Voogd don’t have. That’s why we believe this first ever South African SUBSCRIPTIONS AND PRODUCTION Directory Issue can be such a useful travel tool to those Mabel Ramafoko conducting business travel in this country, as we’ve done [email protected] the research for you, canvassed a host of reviews, collated a bunch of information, and consulted business travellers SOUTH AFRICAN OFFICE in the industry who have actually travelled to the cities in Postal Address: question. PO Box 1746, Saxonwold, 2132 In this inaugural SA Directory Issue, we’ve gone Physical Address: for 11 cities – the ones we believe are South Africa’s 247 Jan Smuts Avenue, Randburg Telephone: +27 11 327 6107 main business travel destinations: Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Port Elizabeth, Polokwane, Nelspruit, George, East London and NIGERIAN OFFICE Kimberley. 3rd Floor, EuniBrown House195, In this way we have focused on 11 cities we believe Ikorodu Road, Palmgrove,Lagos, Nigeria Tel: +234 1 740 3236 are the most important, high-profile and prominent Mobile: +234 803 963 0155 business travel destinations in the country. Within that, we’ve drilled down even further to focus on each city’s important business travel information. PUBLISHER – NORTH & WEST AFRICA Tope Ogbeni-Awe This is the information we believe a corporate traveller [email protected] or booker might need to know, when embarking on a business trip to these cities, including detail on the main airport and the airport experience, the hotels available in EDITORIAL ASSISTANT the city, some recommended restaurants, and some useful Mohammed Abdullahi or interesting titbits that might make the experience a bit fulfilling. This, we believe, covers just about every base, although we are constantly looking at ways of improving these profiles, year on year. All that’s left is to wish you a fantastic 2018 and happy travelling. Business Traveller Africa is published under licence from Perry Publications Limited. Warwick House, 25 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1W 0PP. Tel: +44 20 7821 2740 www.businesstraveller.com

Dylan Rogers Editor [email protected]

4 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za Where Africa’s Leaders Meet

EMPERORS PALACE, JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA

THE GRAND PALM, GABORONE, BOTSWANA

UMODZI PARK, LILONGWE, MALAWI

Three World-Class Hotel and Convention Resorts

Whether its a global conference, international summit or multi-lingual RELAXING STAYS. EXCITING TIMES. symposium, Peermont proudly offers three exceptional convention resort choices with unrivalled facilities and service. Emperors Palace, situated next to O. R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg, South Africa; The Grand Palm Resort in Gaborone, Botswana and Umodzi Park in Lilongwe, Malawi. Catering for delegates from 8 to 3000 in multiple, well-appointed venues with accompanying luxury accommodation, the finest quality cuisine, state-of the-art technical abilities, superior business FOLLOW US services and a dedicated security detail. Choose Peermont, where quality is guaranteed and customised solutions are effortless. www.peermont.com

PEERMONT INTERNATIONAL SALES: Tel: +27 (0)11 928 1903 | E-mail: [email protected] PEERMONT CENTRAL RESERVATIONS: Tel: +27 (0)11 928 1928 | E-mail: [email protected]

EMPERORS PALACE in Johannesburg, GRACELAND in Secunda, UMFOLOZI in Empangeni, RIO in Klerksdorp, KHORONI in Thohoyandou, FRONTIER INN in Bethlehem, MMABATHO PALMS in Mafikeng, THABA MOSHATE in Burgersfort, UMODZI PARK, BICC and PRESIDENT WALMONT in Lilongwe, Malawi, THE GRAND PALM, GICC and THE MONDIOR HOTEL in Gaborone, and THE METCOURT HOTEL in Francistown, Botswana. Johannesburg

Johannesburg is South Africa’s main business travel destination and the economic powerhouse of both the country and the African continent.

OVERVIEW The capital of South Africa’s smallest province, Gauteng, Johannesburg is where it all happens for the country’s business travellers. Not only is it the largest city in South Africa, but Johannesburg is also one of the 50 largest urban areas in the world. While Johannesburg is not one of South Africa’s three capital cities, it is the seat of the Constitutional Court. Much of the financial activity takes place in and around the Sandton district in the north across a range of areas and there is still of lounge investment, which was to include of Johannesburg. Sandton features many of a reliance on heavy industries including a revamp of the airline’s lounge at O.R. the big banks and associated corporates, steel and cement plants. Other industries Tambo International in Johannesburg. the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, a host include banking, IT, real estate, transport, In June, Signature Lux Hotels opened its of hotels, restaurants and bars, a Gautrain broadcast and print media, private health first hotel in South Africa - and Africa - in station, the huge Sandton City shopping care, and a vibrant leisure and consumer the heart of the Golden Mile in Sandton. centre, and Nelson Mandela Square. retail market. The progressive hotel chain is targeting Much of Johannesburg’s corporate business The JSE is Africa’s largest stock exchange tech-savvy millennials and business has moved out of the CBD, which is located in and it has moved out of the CBD. Due to travellers with its four-star finishes and the south, although some do still retain their its commercial role, the city is the seat quality connectivity, with social hubs for offices, and there are pockets of rejuvenation of the provincial government and the enhanced networking opportunities. taking place, such as in Newtown, where site of a number of government branch Moving to the TMC space where City Lodge has opened a hotel. offices, as well as consular offices and Johannesburg-headquartered Duma Travel Rosebank is one of the ‘nodes’ that is other institutions. announced its partnership with global benefiting from a reduced interest in the travel management giant UNIGLOBE. The CBD, and it is situated between town and BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS two parties are now working together to Sandton. It also has a Gautrain station, No surprise to hear that there was plenty grow the UNIGLOBE brand in Africa, with a large re-vamped shopping centre, and of change on the Johannesburg business Duma targeting small and medium-sized quality hotels. Standard Bank moved one travel scene in 2017. travel agencies throughout sub-Saharan of its offices from the CBD to Rosebank. In February, Emirates’ A380 aircraft African. UNIGLOBE has more than 600 That being said, Johannesburg, like many returned to South African skies for the start partners across 60 countries, and agencies metropolises, has more than one CBD, of a scheduled service between Dubai and that join gain access to a global brand, including, but not limited to, Sandton, Johannesburg. The city became Emirates’ business-boosting technologies, training Rosebank and Roodepoort (West Rand) in 46th destination in its global network to to international standards and a global addition to the original CBD. Some tend which it flies the double decker aircraft. hotel programme with 38,000 properties to include Benoni and Germiston as well. The A380 offers a total of 516 seats in a in 6,000 cities. Mining was the foundation of the three-class cabin configuration, with 14 On the hotel side of things, August saw Witwatersrand’s economy, but its importance private suites in first class, 76 mini pods the announcement that Birchwood Hotel is gradually declining due to dwindling with lie-flat seats in business class, and & OR Tambo Conference Centre – in close reserves, and service and manufacturing 426 seats in economy class. proximity to Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo industries have become more significant to Also beefing up its A380 offering was International Airport – had unveiled its new the city’s economy. While gold mining no British Airways. May saw the airline on-site restaurant. It is called Phomolong longer takes place within the city limits, announce that it would be adding 680 seats and its decor is a modern take on traditional most mining companies still have their a week to Johannesburg by operating an African design, including a rustic thatch headquarters in Johannesburg. all-A380 service. Further to that, there was roof with wooden decking, contemporary The city’s manufacturing industries extend an announcement regarding BA’s programme furniture and a modern open kitchen.

6 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za Johannesburg

In September, Comair Limited announced the launch of SLOW XS, a new lounge at Lanseria International Airport to the north-west of Johannesburg. SLOW XS is the latest addition to the suite of existing SLOW Lounge experiences across South Africa. It opened at Lanseria’s domestic terminal and will be exclusively available to qualifying kulula.com, FNB, RMB and Comair Limited VIP guests. The SLOW XS concept has been specifically designed to address the discerning traveller’s need for dedicated transit spaces within smaller airport environments, such as Lanseria. It was a busy year for Lanseria International, with November seeing the unveiling of a new control tower at the airport. The new complex offers the capacity required to meet increased passenger and aircraft traffic demand. It accommodates NEWTOWN CULTURAL PRECINCT air traffic and navigation services, South The redevelopment of the Newtown area in the Johannesburg CBD was African weather services and aerodrome inevitable, and part of the reason why the city and heritage bodies decided rescue and fire-fighting services. to keep the façades of the old buildings and apportion new meaning to it There was also plenty happening at was because part of the identity of the area was forged in the old buildings. Johannesburg’s other main airport, O.R. It was known throughout its redevelopment as the Newtown Cultural Tambo International. In October there was Precinct and it was therefore important to stage old renovated buildings the announcement that it had opened a new as the setting of the new precinct. Demolishing the old structures and passenger link for international passengers replacing them with new buildings would not have achieved the same effect. between Terminal A and the central terminal Everyone played their part in the marketing, branding and the new identity building, in order to ease congestion at the of the precinct - the city, heritage bodies, heritage practitioners, and private main security and emigration checkpoints. companies. The old warehouse industrial buildings that once lay decaying in Passengers checking in at Terminal A Newtown are now synonymous with culture and flair. will now be able to avoid joining queues

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 7 GAUTRAIN A part of the Gauteng Provincial Government’s ‘Blue IQ Project’, Gautrain has made provision for a rapid rail link, running north to south, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and west to east between Sandton and O.R. Tambo International Airport. The network consists of a number of underground stations, as well as above-ground stations. Stations on the north-south line include Johannesburg’s Park Station (underground), Rosebank (underground), Sandton (underground), Malboro (above-ground and raised), Midrand, Pretoria Station and Hatfield. There is also a line from O.R. Tambo International Airport (above-ground and raised) travelling to Sandton via Rhodesfield (raised) and Marlboro. A 200-kilometre expansion is underway and will consist of three new lines and 18 new stations. The east-west line from the airport to Sandton opened in June 2010 in time for the FIFA World Cup, while the north–south line opened in August 2011, except for Park Station, which opened in 2012. The rail system was designed to alleviate traffic on the N1 freeway between Johannesburg and Pretoria, which records vehicle loads of up to 300,000 per week day. An extensive bus feeder system has also been implemented, which allows access to the main stations from the outer suburbs, but is limited to a five-kilometre radius, which neglects the rest of the suburbs. This is the first new major railway system that has been laid in South Africa since 1977.

8 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za IF YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE, BE OUR GUEST

Situated in the heart of Sandton, The Maslow is Sun International’s 281-room specialist business hotel. Packed with state-of-the-art technology, giving you a glimpse into the future of the corporate world. The Maslow offers everything from business to leisure with the tempting Lacuna Urban Bistro to the productive Wayfarer business lounge, Wi-Fi and a rejuvenating spa.

Whether you’re looking for an intimate meeting place for 4 or a grand affair for 420, The Maslow can accommodate it all with 11 tech-savvy meeting rooms and a world-class conference centre.

THE MASLOW HOTEL Corner Grayston Drive & Rivonia Road, Sandton, 2146 Central Reservations: +27 11 780 7770 Telephone: +27 10 226 4600 [email protected] suninternational.com/maslow ORTIA Sesfikile Arrivals Lounge

at Terminal A’s security and emigration road from Lanseria International Airport. to the city is quickest via the Gautrain, which processing points. The group invested R3.2million ($233,000) is a modern rapid rail transport system that In the events space, the Gauteng province in rebuilding the dance theatre after it was links the airport with Pretoria, Sandton, was announced as the successful bidder destroyed in a runaway veld fire in 2016. The Rosebank and the city centre. to host South African Tourism’s strategic amphitheatre now offers a more enhanced For travellers coming through business events trade show, Meetings cultural experience, with a capacity of 300. international arrivals, just make sure Africa, for the next five years, following you keep right out of the exit doors and a comprehensive bidding process. The AIRPORTS look for the Gautrain signs. Purchasing a decision meant that for the next five South Africa has 10 international card is straightforward and will cost you years Meetings Africa will be hosted by airports, the major one being O.R. Tambo approximately $1. Thereafter, it’ll cost you the Gauteng Tourism Authority and the International in Johannesburg, which is in the region of $10 for each leg to and Johannesburg Convention Bureau at the the main gateway to South Africa. This from Sandton, which is about 12 minutes Sandton Convention Centre, annually in state-of-the-art airport has the capacity away from the airport. For travellers coming February. to handle up to 28 million passengers through domestic arrivals, again, keep right In November, aha Hotels & Lodges annually and provides connections to most out of the exit doors and follow the signs unveiled its new offering at its Lesedi regional airports from here. The airport is 22 for the Gautrain. Cultural Village property, just down the kilometres east of Johannesburg and access In terms of lounges, there are a number

10 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za HOTELS & LODGES

Book your stay at the Best Hotel Group in Africa* *as voted for at the 2017 World Tourism Forum Africa Summit Western Cape North West aha Harbour Bridge Hotel & Suites Shepherd’s Tree Game Lodge aha De Zalze Lodge aha Thakadu River Camp aha Simon’s Town Quayside Hotel Madikwe River Lodge aha The Rex Hotel Mpumalanga Northern Cape aha Bongani Mountain Lodge aha Kathu Hotel aha Casa Do Sol Hotel & Resort aha Greenway Woods Resort KwaZulu-Natal aha Alpine Heath Resort Limpopo aha Makalali Private Game Lodge aha Auberge Hollandaise Guest House aha Sefapane Lodges & Safaris aha Gateway Hotel aha Imperial Hotel Botswana aha Riverside Hotel Chobe Marina Lodge aha Shakaland Masa Square Hotel aha The Square Boutique Hotel & Spa aha Urban Park Hotel Zambia aha The Waterfront Hotel & Spa aha The David Livingstone Safari Lodge & Spa

Free State Zimbabwe aha Bloemfontein Hotel The Elephant Camp Imbabala Zambezi Safari Lodge Gauteng aha Kopanong Hotel & Conference Centre Namibia aha River Place Lodge aha Swakopmund Plaza Hotel aha Atlantic Villa Boutique Guest House North West aha Beach Hotel Swakopmund aha Lesedi aha Eagle Tented Lodge Ivory Tree Game Lodge aha Epacha Game Lodge & Spa

2017 2016 BOOK NOW: +27 87 740 9292 best african south african hotel group hotel group [email protected] | www.aha.co.za africa tourism business traveller awards africa awards of airline-specific business class lounges at O.R. Tambo International. It has a host of international departure lounges, in the form of the Virgin Atlantic, Air France, British Airways, Bidvest Premier, SAA (Baobab and Cycad) and Emirates international lounges. SAA also has an arrivals lounge. ORTIA is also home to Menzies Aviation’s Shongololo Lounge, which is used by a number of airlines. In terms of domestic lounges, SAA has one at ORTIA, whilst the airport also features lounges from Bidvest (two) and Menzies Aviation (Mashonza). The other lounges worth looking out for, particularly if you are a First National Bank customer (access via bank card – sometimes for a fee, depending on the state of your bank account and number of times you visit in a month), are the Apartheid Museum SLOW lounges at ORTIA. Passengers also have access to the Bidvest Premier Lounges at ORTIA. Domestic lounge entry costs $17 and international lounge entry costs $27. All lounges provide complimentary light meals and snacks, beverages, newspapers and magazines, TV and wi-fi. Bidvest Premier also opened a new lounge at Lanseria International Airport in 2016. Speaking of Lanseria International, it is located to the north-west of Johannesburg, and has emerged as a popular choice for business travellers living in the north of Johannesburg, particularly as there are a good selection of flights to destinations such as Cape Town and Durban. Lanseria is also the focal point for South Africa’s private aviation industry, and is home to the likes of ExecuJet, National Airways Constitution Hil Corporation, and Comair Flight Services. Other airports in the greater Johannesburg region include Rand Airport and Grand Central Airport. Rand Airport, located in Germiston, is a small airfield used mostly for private aircraft and is the home of South African Airways’ first Boeing 747 Classic, the Lebombo, which is now an aviation museum. Grand Central is located in Midrand and also caters to small, private aircraft.

HOTELS As you would expect, Johannesburg has a host of international hotel brands, and a fair number of them clustered in the main business district of Sandton, which Soweto is approximately 20 minutes from the CBD and about half an hour from O.R. Tambo International Airport, depending on traffic. THINGS TO DO 5. Gold Reef City There’s a five-star Hilton property in 6. Neighbourgoods Market Sandton, and the group also has hotels 1. Apartheid Museum 7. SA Museum of Military History in Durban (adjacent to the city’s main 2. Constitution Hill 8. Johannesburg Zoo convention centre) and Cape Town (smaller, 3. Soweto 9. Arts on Main with a boutique-type feel). 4. Maboneng Precinct 10. Botanical Gardens Also in Sandton are two Radisson Blu

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Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 13 MABONENG DISTRICT Like many cities around the world, there is an increasing focus on the rejuvenation of the inner city of Johannesburg. One of these initiatives is the Maboneng District located in the south-eastern side of the CBD. Originally a hub for art, it has expanded to include restaurants, entertainment venues and retail stores as well as accommodation and hotels. Maboneng calls itself ‘a place of inspiration – a creative hub, a place to do business, a destination for visitors, and a safe, integrated community for residents. A beacon of strength in Africa’s most economically prosperous city’.

14 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za hotels, including the Radisson Blu Gautrain, which is ideally positioned opposite the local Gautrain station. The greater hotel building also has a SLOW business lounge on the bottom floor, which can be accessed for a fee. There’s also a Park Inn by Radisson in Sandton, so Carlson Rezidor has a significant presence in this business-focused area of Johannesburg. Another international group with a presence in Johannesburg is Accor, through its midscale Mercure brand. They have three properties, but none in Sandton. Instead, the Bedfordview hotel to the east of the city provides easy access to the airport, whilst the Midrand hotel bridges the gap between Johannesburg and Pretoria, and the Randburg property taps into the West Rand market. Holiday Inn has four properties in Johannesburg – in Rosebank, Rivonia Road (Sandton), at the airport, and in Woodmead - whilst InterContinental, also part of the IHG group, has the five-star Johannesburg Sandton Towers and the five-star property at O.R. Tambo Airport. Completing the IHG presence in Johannesburg is the Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – The Rosebank, a corporate travel-focused property that has built a good reputation and sees a lot of repeat business. In terms of O.R. Tambo International Airport, the general area around it is dotted with hotels across the star range, whilst a short drive away is the Peermont offering, in the form of the five-star D’Oreale Grande at Emperors Palace, which is also home to the group’s four-star Mondior, three-star Metcourt and three-star Metcourt Suites properties. The D’Oreale Grande is exceptional, if you’re looking for a five-star hotel in close proximity to the airport. In the same Kempton Park area is arguably the country’s biggest conferencing offering, in the form of the Birchwood Hotel & O.R. Tambo Conference Centre. Overall it has 665 rooms, but also some products specifically targeted at the business traveller, with Silverbirch a more premium offering and ValuStay an option for the more budget-

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 15 HOTELS Mercure Bedfordview – mercure.com 10 2nd Avenue Mercure Midrand – mercure.com – houghtonestate.com Mercure Randburg – mercure.com 12 Decades – urbanhiphotels.com Michelangelo Hotel – 54 on Bath – tsogosun.com legacyhotels.co.za African Pride Melrose Arch – Michelangelo Towers – marriott.com legacyhotels.co.za aha Kopanong Hotel & Conference Misty Hills – mistyhills.co.za Centre – aha.co.za Monarch – monarchhotel.co.za aha River Place Lodge – aha.co.za Palazzo Montecasino – Birchwood – birchwoodhotel.co.za tsogosun.com Carnival City – suninternational.com Park Inn Sandton – parkinn.com City Lodge Bryanston – clhg.com Peermont D’oreale Grande – City Lodge Fourways – clhg.com peermont.com City Lodge JHB Barbara Rd – Peermont Metcourt Hotel – clhg.com peermont.com City Lodge Katherine Street – Peermont Metcourt Suites – clhg.com peermont.com City Lodge Morningside – clhg.com Peermont Mondior – peermont.com City Lodge Newtown – clhg.com Premier Midrand – City Lodge O.R. Tambo – clhg.com premierhotels.co.za City Lodge Waterfall City – clhg.com Premier O.R. Tambo – Clico – clico–boutique–hotel.co.za premierhotels.co.za Faircity Falstaff Courtyard Eastgate – clhg.com Protea Balalaika – marriott.com Courtyard Rosebank – clhg.com Protea Fire & Ice! Melrose Arch – Courtyard Sandton – clhg.com marriott.com Crowne Plaza – The Rosebank – SunSquare Montecasino – Protea O.R. Tambo – marriott.com therosebank.co.za tsogosun.com Protea Parktonian – marriott.com DAVINCI Hotel & Suites – SUN1 Alberton – tsogosun.com Protea Roodepoort – marriott.com legacyhotels.co.za SUN1 Benoni – tsogosun.com Protea Transit O.R. Tambo – Faircity Falstaff – faircity.co.za SUN1 Berea – tsogosun.com marriott.com Faircity Quatermain – faircity.co.za SUN1 Edenvale – tsogosun.com Protea Wanderers – marriott.com Faircity Mapungubwe – faircity.co.za SUN1 Midrand – tsogosun.com Radisson Blu Gautrain – Fairlawns – fairlawns–hotel.co.za SUN1 O.R. Tambo – tsogosun.com radissonblu.com Four Seasons Westcliff – SUN1 Southgate – Radisson Blu Sandton – fourseasons.com tsogosun.com radissonblu.com Garden Court Eastgate – SUN1 Wynberg – tsogosun.com Raphael Penthouse Suites – tsogosun.com Ten Bompas – tenbompas.com legacyhotels.co.za Garden Court Milpark – The Capital Empire – thecapital.co.za Road Lodge Carnival City – The Capital Moloko – tsogosun.com ER clhg.com thecapital.co.za ELL AF AV R Garden Court Morningside – R IC Road Lodge Germiston Lake – T A The Capital On Bath –

tsogosun.com S WINNER A clhg.com thecapital.co.za S W E

Garden Court O.R. Tambo A

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Road Lodge Isando – clhg.com The Capital Villa – thecapital.co.za S

International – tsogosun.com U Aviation Road Lodge JHB Airport – clhg.com B Operator Garden Court Sandton – The Capital 20 West – Road Lodge Randburg – clhg.com tsogosun.com thecapital.co.za Road Lodge Rivonia – clhg.com 2017 Gold Reef City Theme Park – The Devonshire – orionhotels.co.za Road Lodge Southgate – clhg.com tsogosun.com The Hamilton – thehamilton.co.za Sandton Sun – tsogosun.com Hilton Sandton – hilton.com The Maslow – suninternational.com Southern Sun Gold Reef City – Holiday Inn Johannesburg Airport – The Nicol – urbanhiphotels.com tsogosun.com holidayinn.com The Parkwood – theparkwood.co.za Southern Sun Hyde Park – Holiday Inn Rosebank – The Peech – thepeech.co.za tsogosun.com holidayinn.com The Residence – theresidence.co.za Southern Sun Katherine Street – Holiday Inn Sandton – tsogosun.com The Saxon – saxon.co.za tsogosun.com Holiday Inn Express Woodmead – The Winston – thewinstonhotel.co.za Southern Sun Montecasino – holidayinn.com Tintswalo at Waterfall – tsogosun.com Hotel Lamunu – lamunu.co.za tintswalo.com Southern Sun O.R. Tambo – Hyatt Regency – Town Lodge JHB Airport – clhg.com tsogosun.com johannesburg.regency.hyatt.com Town Lodge Midrand – clhg.com Southern Sun Silverstar – Indaba Hotel – indabahotel.co.za Town Lodge Roodepoort – clhg.com tsogosun.com InterContinental O.R. Tambo – Town Lodge Sandton Grayston – Soweto Hotel – sowetohotel.co.za tsogosun.com clhg.com Splice – urbanhiphotels.com InterContinental Sandton Towers – Westpoint Executive Suites – StayEasy Eastgate – tsogosun.com executivesuites.co.za tsogosun.com

16 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za TEN RECOMMENDED Perron, Bryanston The Grillhouse Rosebank RESTAURANTS Johannesburg has many high-quality restaurants, but below are just a few worth sampling:

1. Marble Restaurant (Rosebank) 2. Pigalle Melrose Arch 3. The Grillhouse Rosebank Wombles, Bryanston 4. The Local Grill (Parktown North) 5. Wombles (Bryanston) 6. DW Eleven - 13 (Dunkeld West) 7. Che Argentina Grill (Maboneng) 8. Perron (Illovo) 9. Roving Bantu Kitchen (Brixton) 10. Baha Taco (Norwood)

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Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 17 SANDTON CONVENTION CENTRE Johannesburg has a number of impressive conference Sandton Convention Centre can host just about any and exhibition venues, including the likes of Birchwood event, from exhibitions to conferences and more. Key Hotel & OR Tambo Conference Centre, Gallagher Estate, to its success is its size and flexibility, with 22,000m² of Emperors Palace and Nasrec, but arguably the most flexible event space, contemporary Afro-chic décor and comprehensive and centrally-located of the city’s venues technologically advanced facilities. is Sandton Convention Centre, which offers multi- Venues range in size from an intimate 10-seat function use event spaces and venues in the financial hub of room to the grand Pavilion which can comfortably cater Johannesburg. for 4,500 cocktail guests. The Sandton Convention Conveniently located in the middle of Sandton and Centre is spread over four main levels with multiple within easy reach of the Gautrain and O. R. Tambo venues, offers ample secure parking and a highly skilled International Airport, the SCC is flanked by a number and experienced team. of leading hotels, sophisticated shopping centres and entertainment complexes.

18 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za YOUR GLOBAL PARTNER IN TRAVEL

Park Inn by Radisson Sandton

Hyatt Regency

conscious business traveller. On top of that, brand) and City Lodge are the groups with there are a good selection of restaurants a big presence, as has Legacy Hotels & to choose from. Resorts, which is strong in the Sandton area. Also out on the East Rand, but in close Tsogo Sun has 27 properties in the greater enough proximity to Johannesburg, is Johannesburg area, but that includes the two aha Hotels & Lodges’ Kopanong Hotel InterContinentals already mentioned, the & Conference Centre in Benoni. It’s Holiday Inn in Sandton, and the Crowne beautifully maintained in a country estate, Plaza in Rosebank, all of which the group with comfortable accommodation, a great owns. food and beverage offering, and inviting Tsogo Sun’s Johannesburg portfolio CENTRALISED SERVICES conference facilities. includes three properties in the Montecasino From a local brand point of view, it’s entertainment complex to the north of significant that Sun International now has a Johannesburg, with the five-star Palazzo GLOBAL AGREEMENTS ‘business hotel’ presence in Johannesburg – Hotel the flagship there. Then there’s the more specifically Sandton – with The Maslow four hotels at the airport (InterContinental, GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY opening in early 2013. Sun International Southern Sun, Garden Court and SUN1) does, though, still have a strong presence and seven in and around the Sandton in the gaming world, with Carnival City node, including the five-star refurbished PAN AFRICAN DEALS to the east of Johannesburg, the Morula Sandton Sun, the five-star Southern Sun Sun and Carousel to the north of Pretoria, Hyde Park, the InterContinental adjacent GLOBAL BRAND and its flagship Sun City property in the to Sandton Convention Centre, and two North-West Province, with adjacent Palace Garden Court properties. of the Lost City. Tsogo Sun, though, will be happy that TRAINING Looking at the other big local brands, it has a presence in Rosebank (10 minutes Tsogo Sun Hotels, Protea Hotels (a Marriott from Sandton), with the luxurious 54 on Email [email protected] Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za www.uniglobesubsaharanafrica.comJANUARY2018 | 19 Bath, which was previously The Grace. One of Tsogo Sun’s budget brands, StayEasy, has just two properties in Gauteng, in Pretoria and Eastgate, whilst in the same category, 2013 saw Tsogo Sun rebrand its Formula 1 hotels as SUN1 hotels, of which there are a host of around the country. There are eight Protea Hotels properties in and around Johannesburg, including two at O.R. Tambo International Airport. But, perhaps the hotels to stand out among those are the two Melrose Arch properties, which are excellent options, should you be doing business in the area, Rosebank, Sandton or the CBD. The Melrose Arch Hotel – under the African Pride brand – claims it makes the best cappuccino in the city, whilst the Fire&Ice! property has a sister hotel in Menlyn, Pretoria. The City Lodge Hotel Group consists of one-star Road Lodges, two-star Town Lodges, three-star City Lodges and four- Hilton Sandton star Courtyard Hotels. The group has 54 properties across South Africa, including the following in Johannesburg: three Courtyards, eight City Lodges, four Town Lodges and seven Road Lodges. So, 22 properties in the greater Johannesburg area for this group. Legacy Hotels & Resorts’ footprint in the Sandton area includes quality properties in the form of the five-star Michelangelo, DAVINCI Hotel & Suites, Michelangelo Towers, and Raphael Penthouse Suites. These are suited to the premium business traveller who wants to be in the heart of Sandton, on the doorstep of the big shopping mall, Sandton City, or adjacent to the Sandton Convention Centre. One of the smaller South African groups – Premier Hotels & Resorts – has a couple of properties in Johannesburg, with one hotel situated at the airport and one in Midrand, Fairlawns giving them a good cross-section of business, without having to compete with the big international brands in the Sandton node. From a boutique hotel perspective, two properties stand out – the Saxon and Fairlawns – with both situated within a few minutes’ drive of Sandton City, either side of it. The Saxon is arguably the premier boutique hotel in Johannesburg and possibly South Africa, and is where the late Nelson Mandela wrote his memoirs. Just a short drive up the road, opposite the Johannesburg Zoo, is the Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg, which boasts arguably the best view in the city from its elevated terrace. Four Seasons did significant work to the old Westcliff property before re-opening at the end of 2014, with some stunning dining options now on offer, in the form of Flames, View, The Cellar Door, and the Westcliff Deli, which is a clever addition that even local residents can access. The hotel is situated just 5-10 minutes from the Johannesburg Holiday Inn Santon

20 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za CBD and encourages its guest to explore this side of the city, whilst also acting as a link between the hotel property and the CBD. A notch down the star scale, Faircity has three properties – all in the three and four- star range, with one in the Johannesburg CBD and two in Sandton – Falstaff and Quatermain. Interesting that Faircity has that CBD presence, as not many of the other big groups do, although there is Hotel Lamunu – previously a Lonrho Hotels property – in De Korte Street. Orion Hotels has The Devonshire, which is well situated in Braamfontein, should you want access to the CBD. The Rosebank node, about 10 minutes’ drive from Sandton, has a good selection of quality hotels, with the Hyatt Regency, The Capital Empire the Holiday Inn, City Lodge’s Courtyard, 54 on Bath, Mantis Collection’s Monarch Hotel, Crowne Plaza Johannesburg – The Rosebank, and the Clico Boutique Hotel, which has a good reputation and has an intimate conferencing offering. Also in the area are The Capital Hotel Group, which consists of four Sandton-based properties together with The Capital On Bath in Rosebank. The group offers standard hotel rooms, fully-furnished serviced apartments and modern conference facilities across the three, four and five-star segments. Lastly, should you find yourself looking for a smaller boutique property in the areas of Hyde Park, Craighall, or Parkhurst – about 15 minutes’ from Sandton – then make sure you consider The Hamilton, The Parkwood, Ten Bompas and The Peech Hotel, Holiday Inn Sandton which is a short drive away just behind the Wanderers Club. If you’re flying in and out of Lanseria DID YOU KNOW? International Airport to the north-west of That Johannesburg is one of the ‘greenest’ cities in the world? Parks and Johannesburg, you may want to consider gardens in the city are maintained by Johannesburg City Parks and Zoo. Misty Hills Country Hotel in the Muldersdrift City Parks is also responsible for planting the city’s many green trees. It has area. It has a ‘country’ feel to it and provides been estimated that there are six million trees in the city, with the number a welcome relief from city life, along with growing every year – 1.2 million on pavements and sidewalks, and a further playing host to the famous Carnivore 4.8 million in private gardens. City Parks continues to invest in planting Restaurant. trees, particularly those previously disadvantaged areas of Johannesburg which were not positive beneficiaries of Apartheid Johannesburg’s urban CONTACT planning. Johannesburg Botanical Garden, located in the suburb of www.joburgtourism.com ■ Emmarentia, is a popular recreational park.

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Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za For more information, visit us @ www.flexiroam.co.za JANUARY2018 | 21 Office : +27 12 669 3012 Pretoria

The administrative capital of South Africa, Pretoria is home to the Union Buildings and a host of government departments, making it a small, but important business travel destination.

OVERVIEW Known as the “Jacaranda City” due to its thousands of pretty purple jacaranda trees, Pretoria is a city within the Tshwane metropole and the Gauteng province. Pretoria is a major commercial and important industrial centre. Its main industries are iron and steel works, copper casting, and the manufacture of automobiles, railway carriages and heavy machinery. Politically, the last 18 months have been an interesting time for Pretoria, following the 2016 local government elections. In those elections, the ruling ANC party lost its majority in the Tshwane metropole, with the Democratic Alliance winning a plurality of 93 seats on the council, but without a majority. The minority parties then united with the DA to vote in mayoral candidate Solly Msimanga as the first DA mayor of Tshwane.

BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS Arguably the most significant news for Pretoria in 2017 was that of Sun International unveiling the first phase of its multi-million dollar development, Time Square, in Menlyn. The complex, which includes a casino, an 8,500-seat arena, a hotel and a restaurant hub, opened to the public on 1 April. The arena opened in October and the Maslow Time Square hotel is due to open in March, offering a 238- room specialist business hotel with both ‘standard’ and premium accommodation. In other hotel news, the four-star Kievits Kroon – a popular conference venue – was purchased by the Faircity Hotels & Apartments group.

GETTING THERE Depending on where you need to get to, the drive from Johannesburg is approximately half an hour, although traffic on the highway can result in delays. PLACES OF INTEREST Otherwise, the Gautrain is a good option, Pretoria National Botanical Garden Menlyn Park particularly if you are travelling from O.R. The National Zoological Gardens Voortrekker Monument Tambo International Airport. From the Church Square Hatfield Square airport, change at Malboro – the second Union Buildings Freedom Park stop – for travel to Pretoria’s Hatfield and Marabastad Pretoria Forts Pretoria stations.

22 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za The latter’s Gautrain bus route travels INTERESTING FACT through the Pretoria CBD and stops close Pretoria was the capital of the South African Republic, the principal battleground to popular tourist attractions such as for the First and Second Boer Wars. The latter brought both the Transvaal and the State Library, Post Office Museum, the Orange Free State republic under British rule and “Marching to Pretoria” was Transport Museum, Cultural History one of the songs British soldiers sang as they marched from the Cape Colony. Museum and Kruger House. As the song’s refrain puts it: “We are marching to Pretoria, Pretoria, Pretoria. We The Hatfield station is located within are marching to Pretoria, Pretoria, hurrah.” The opening line of John Lennon’s the Hatfield Business Node and within Beatles’ song I Am the Walrus, “I am he as you are he as you are me and we are walking distance are the Hatfield Plaza all together,” some believe is based on the lyric “I’m with you and you’re with me Shopping Centre and Hatfield Square, a and so we are all together” in “Marching to Pretoria.” Lennon, however, denied popular open plaza surrounded by clubs this, insisting his lyrics came from “nothing.” and bars. The Hatfield station’s Gautrain bus route travels through Lynnwood, Arcadia, Waverly, Menlyn and Brooklyn.

AIRLINES & AIRPORTS For scheduled air services, Pretoria is served by Johannesburg’s O.R. Tambo International (45 kilometres) and Lanseria International (35 kilometres), whilst the city’s Wonderboom Airport primarily services light commercial and private aircraft. However, for the past two years Airlink has been offering scheduled flights from Wonderboom to Cape Town Protea Hotel Fire&Ice! Menlyn International Airport. It has also opened a business class lounge at Wonderboom for business class customers and selected Voyager members. Travellers can enjoy complimentary wi-fi and refreshments in the Airlink Grey Sunbird Lounge and the airline operates as many as four daily flights between Pretoria and Cape Town on some days, three on others, and daily flights on Saturdays and Sundays.

HOTELS Interestingly, the only international group with a presence in Pretoria is Marriott, with a single Sheraton, one African Pride, five Protea hotels, and Protea Hotel Fire&Ice! Menlyn the Fire&Ice! in Menlyn. Otherwise, it’s the local groups that dominate, with City Lodge offering a HOTELS Courtyard (four-star) in Arcadia, City 131 on Herbert Baker – 131.co.za menlynhotel.com Lodges (three-star) in Hatfield and African Pride Irene – marriott.com Morningstar Express – Lynnwood, a Town Lodge (two-star) in Burgers Park Hotel – sierrahotels.co.za morningstarhotel.co.za Menlo Park, and a Road Lodge (one-star) Carousel – suninternational.com Premier Hotel Pretoria – in Centurion. Centurion Lake – legacyhotels.co.za premierhotels.co.za Tsogo Sun also has a decent spread City Lodge Hatfield – clhg.com Protea Capital – marriott.com across the star range, in the form of the City Lodge Lynwood – clhg.com Protea Centurion – marriott.com Southern Sun Pretoria, a Garden Court Cornerstone – cornerstonelodge.co.za Protea Fire&Ice! Menlyn – in Hatfield, a StayEasy, and a SUN1, Court Classique – courtclassique.co.za marriott.com which is the group’s budget brand. Courtyard Arcadia – clhg.com Protea Hatfield – marriott.com When Marriott’s Fire&Ice! opened in Faircity Grosvenor Gardens – Protea Manor – marriott.com Menlyn in 2015 it was the newest entrant faircity.co.za Road Lodge Centurion – clhg.com into the market, but it now has some Faircity Junction Apartments – Sheraton Pretoria – marriott.com competition on its doorstep, following faircity.co.za Southern Sun Pretoria – the opening of The Capital Hotel Group’s Faircity Roodevallei – faircity.co.za tsogosun.com apartment hotel property at Time Square Garden Court Hatfield – StayEasy Pretoria – tsogosun.com and Sun International’s Maslow property, tsogosun.com SUN1 Pretoria - tsogosun.com which is due to open in March. Holiday Inn Express – holidayinn.com The Capital Menlyn Maine – Illyria House – illyria.co.za thecapital.co.za CONTACT Kievits Kroon – kievitskroon.co.za The Manhattan – manhattanhotel.co.za www.pretoria.co.za ■ Lombardy – lombardy-hotel.co.za Town Lodge Menlo Park – Menlyn Boutique Hotel – clhg.com

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 23 Cape Town

Cape Town is one of the world’s premier leisure travel destinations, but is also an important South African business travel and MICE destination.

OVERVIEW The ‘Mother City’ has the second-most populous urban area in South Africa after Johannesburg. As the seat of the Parliament of South Africa, it is also the legislative capital of the country. Looking at Cape Town’s major industries, the agriculture and manufacturing sectors have declined more recently, whilst finance, business services, transport and logistics have grown, reflecting the growth in specialised services sectors of the local economy. Fishing, clothing and textiles, wood product manufacturing, electronics, furniture, hospitality, finance and business

DID YOU KNOW? Table Mountain is one of the oldest mountains on earth, six times older than the Himalayas and five times older than the Rockies. It is a major tourist attraction, with many visitors using the cableway or choosing to hike to the top. The mountain forms part of the Table Mountain National Park.

24 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za SunSquare Cape Town City Bowl

HOTELS Island Club – islandclubhotel.co.za radissonblu.com 26 Sunset Ave – 26sunsetavenue.com Kensington Place – Radisson Blu Hotel Waterfront – African Pride 15 On Orange – kensingtonplace.co.za radissonblu.com marriott.com Lady Hamilton – leisurehotels.co.za Radisson Blu Le Vendome Hotel– aha Harbour Bridge Hotel & Suites Last Word Constantia – radissonblu.com – aha.co.za preferredhotels.com Radisson RED Cape Town – Andros Boutique – bonhotels.com Last Word Long Beach – radissonred.com Bantry Bay – bantrybaysuitehotel.com preferredhotels.com Road Lodge CT Airport – clhg.com Best Western Cape Suites – Lawhill – lawhillluxuryapartments.com Road Lodge N1 City – clhg.com bestwesterncapesuiteshotel.co.za Mandela Rhodes Place – Southern Sun Cape Sun – Blackheath Lodge – mandelarhodesplace.co.za tsogosun.com blackheathlodge.co.za Mount Nelson – mountnelson.co.za Southern Sun Newlands – tsogosun. Cape Grace – capegrace.co.za New Kings Hotel – com Cape Royale – preferredhotels.com newkingshotel.co.za Southern Sun The Cullinan – Cape Town Lodge – One&Only – oneandonlyresorts.com tsogosun.com capetownlodge.co.za Park Inn by Radisson Foreshore – Southern Sun Waterfront – Cape Town Marriott Crystal Towers parkinn.com tsogosun.com – marriott.com Park Inn by Radisson Newlands – StayEasy Cape Town City Bowl – Century City Hotel – cchotel.co.za parkinn.com tsogosun.com City Lodge GrandWest – clhg.com Premier Hotel Cape Town – StayEasy Century City – tsogosun. City Lodge Pinelands – clhg.com premierhotels.co.za com City Lodge Waterfront – clhg.com President Hotel – presidenthotel.co.za Strand Tower – leisurehotels.co.za Derwent House – derwenthouse.co.za Protea Breakwater Lodge – SUN1 Foreshore – tsogosun.com Double Tree by Hilton – marriott.com SUN1 Milnerton – tsogosun.com doubletree3.hilton.com Protea Cape Castle – marriott.com SunSquare Cape Town City Bowl – Fountains Hotel – leisurehotels.co.za Protea Durbanville – bonhotels.com tsogosun.com Garden Court Nelson Mandela – Protea Fire&Ice! Cape Town – SunSquare Cape Town Gardens – tsogosun.com marriott.com tsogosun.com GrandWest Casino – Protea Mowbray – marriott.com Table Bay Hotel – suninternational.com Protea North Wharf – marriott.com suninternational.com Hilton Cape Town City Centre – Protea Sea Point – marriott.com The Capital Mirage – thecapital.co.za hilton.com Protea Tyger Valley – marriott.com The Hyde All-Suite Hotel – Holiday Inn Express – hiexpress.com Protea Victoria Junction – thehydehotel.com Homestead Villas – bonhotels.com marriott.com The Westin – westincapetown.com Hotel Verde – hotelverde.com Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence – Town Lodge Bellville – clhg.com

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 25 The city is also an important centre for the African IT industry, with the highest number of successful IT companies in Africa.

BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS Without a doubt, the biggest story of 2017 was the drought gripping the Western Cape. Level five water restrictions were approved in September, which banned the use of municipal drinking-quality water for outside and non-essential purposes. In an effort to meet these restrictions, many hotels reduced water pressure, removed bath plugs and started recycling grey water. Legacy Hotels & Resorts even placed hourglass shower timers in all bathrooms of its Commodore and PortsWood properties. Tsogo Sun installed aerators and flow restrictors on all taps, as well as low pressure shower heads in all bathrooms. Despite the drought, Cape Town’s popularity remains on the rise, if the increased number of flights from international destinations is any indication. services are industries in which Cape Town’s renewal programme, with numerous new British Airways upped its daily Boeing economy has the largest ‘comparative buildings and renovations taking place 747-400 services to double-daily flights over advantage’. under the guidance of the Cape Town the South African summer as well as added Cape Town has also recently enjoyed Partnership. three Boeing 777-ER flights from Gatwick. a booming real estate and construction The most notable companies with Air France served Cape Town throughout market, with many people buying summer headquarters in Cape Town are Woolworths, the 2017 summer season from Paris-Charles homes in the city or relocating there Pick n Pay, Foschini Group, MWEB, de Gaulle with three weekly flights operated permanently. Mediclinic International, Naspers, Capitec, by a 208-seater Airbus A330 and a 312-seater The CBD is under an extensive urban and Sanlam. Boeing 777. It also added three more weekly

26 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za CTICC There’s no doubt that the emergence of the Cape Town International Convention Centre has played a big role in changing the perception of Cape Town and what it has to offer in the business travel space. Since it opened in June 2003, CTICC has helped Cape Town position itself as Africa’s top business events destination, in terms of the ICCA rankings. CTICC hosted 39 international conferences and 28 national conferences in its 2015/16 financial year, but has not rested on its laurels. The second half of 2017 saw the completion of CTICC’s expansion project. CTICC East is 31,148m2 in extent and now offers 10,000m2 of multi-purpose exhibition and conference space, as well as 3,000m2 of formal and informal meeting space. Facilities in CTICC East include six exhibition halls, four meeting suites, five meeting pod rooms, two terrace rooms, a rooftop garden and a new coffee shop. flights in April and October. TAAG Angola Airlines increased its Luanda-Cape Town service in October from three flights a week to a daily operation. Eurowings made its debut in South Africa, with the first flight touching down in Cape Town in November. It offers a weekly return flight to Germany. Austrian Airlines will offer two weekly flights from Vienna in October 2018. Domestically, Airlink introduced a new route between Pietermaritzburg and Cape Town, and it also won the bid to operate flights to St Helena in July, which it announced it would do from Cape Town International Airport. Arguably, the three biggest hotel stories of 2017 were the opening of the Silo Hotel, the Radisson Red, and Tsogo Sun’s dual- brand property in the Cape Town City Bowl. Opening early in 2017, the Silo Hotel is a luxury boutique hotel with just 28 rooms,

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 27 Table Bay Hotel several destinations in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe. The Middle East connections are provided by Emirates and Qatar Airways, whilst travellers can fly directly to Europe from Cape Town via the likes of Air France, KLM, Lufthansa, BA, and Turkish Airlines. If you need to travel into the rest of Africa, Ethiopian Airlines and Kenya Airways both have flights into Cape Town. Domestically, all the major players – both full service and low-cost – fly into and out of Cape Town. In terms of lounges, Bidvest have Premier Lounges in both the domestic and international terminals. Entry to these lounges will cost you R234 ($17) for the domestic and R370 ($27) for the international lounge. SAA has lounges in both terminals, whilst there’s a SLOW lounge in domestic Radisson Red departures and BA and Emirates lounges in international departures. In terms of car rental, all the major South built in the grain elevator portion of the African brands are represented, and these historic grain silo complex occupying six options are conveniently located a short floors above the Zeitz MOCAA (Museum walk from the arrivals terminal building. of Contemporary Art Africa). Cape Town International was extensively The other two properties opened in the expanded and renovated before the 2010 second half of the year, with the Radisson World Cup and in May 2015 Airports Red the first of this brand on the African Company South Africa announced a further continent. The Tsogo Sun project resulted R7.7 billion ($565m) expansion for the in the opening of two economy hotels, the airport. The expansion includes upgrades of select service SunSquare Cape Town City the domestic and international terminals, Bowl with 202 bedrooms, and the StayEasy with the project set to start construction Cape Town City Bowl with 302 bedrooms. at the end of 2018 and be completed by mid-2022. AIRPORT Cape Town International Airport is the HOTELS second-busiest airport in South Africa As with all prominent business travel and third-busiest in Africa. Located destinations, there are a host of hotels to approximately 20 kilometres from the CBD, choose from in Cape Town, regardless of the airport has flights to South Africa’s main whether you’re on a tight budget or can Radisson Red urban areas, along with direct flights to afford to splash out.

28 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za There is a concentration of hotels at the V&A Waterfront, where the Silo Hotel and Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Red have added to the selection. Rezidor also have a Radisson Blu at the Waterfront to go with further Radisson Blu properties in town and in Sea Point, and two Park Inn by Radissons, making it the dominant international player in the Cape Town market. That being said, Marriott does have 12 hotels in the greater Cape Town area, although four of those properties are located outside of the CBD and Waterfront. The only other international groups with Kleinsky’s a presence in Cape Town are Hilton with its Cape Town City Centre property and Best Western with its Cape Suites Hotel, a village-style hotel with a total of 61 studio one, two and three-bedroom suites. Another group with more than one property at the Waterfront is Legacy Hotels & Resorts, which operates the Commodore and PortsWood hotels in close proximity to one another. Speaking of the Waterfront, you’ll also find Kerzner International’s opulent One&Only, the Cape Grace and Sun International’s Table Bay Hotel – a member of the group’s Sunlux Collection and a hotel that has maintained high standards over its nearly 20 years of existence. A short drive away is Preferred Hotels & Resorts’ Cape Royale property in the suburb of Green Point, and a bit further down in Bantry Bay is the President Hotel, a well-known and respected Cape Town hotel, offering both rooms and apartments, and with a good history. Seabreeze Fish & Shell Pierino Penati If you’re looking for a great location close to Cape Town International Convention Centre, then look no further than the five- star Westin, situated adjacent to CTICC. A short walk from there you’ll find Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun The Cullinan, and the group has six other properties in Cape Town, along with the dual-branded property on the corner of Bree, Buitengracht and Strand streets in the CBD. Another local group with a big presence is City Lodge, with three City Lodges (three- star), one Town Lodge (two-star), and two Road Lodges (one-star) in the broader Cape Town region. Aha Hotels & Lodges has just the one property in Cape Town, in the form of the Harbour Bridge Hotel & Suites, which has a convenient location just minutes from CTICC. If you’re in the five-star market, it’s Chefs Warehouse at Maison Wild Sprout worth mentioning the Cape Grace and the Mount Nelson, which are iconic Cape FIVE RECOMMENDED CAPE TOWN RESTAURANTS Town properties. • Chefs Warehouse at Maison (Franschhoek) There are a number of quality hotels in the • Pierino Penati Cape Town CBD, including the Pepperclub • Wild Sprout Hotel & Spa and the Taj Cape Town. • Seabreeze Fish & Shell • Kleinsky’s

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 29 Durban

Known for its warm climate and inviting beaches, Durban is more than a holiday destination. It’s an important business travel and MICE destination, with a changing landscape and evolving commercial centres.

OVERVIEW Durban might be seen as one of the major centres of tourism in South Africa, but it also has the country’s busiest port, along with a number of industries centred in the city. The municipality, which includes neighbouring towns, has a population of almost 3.5 million, making the combined municipality one of the biggest cities on the Indian Ocean coast of the African continent. The four main economic sectors in Durban are manufacturing; financial and business services; community services; and wholesale and retail, but tourism is obviously taken very seriously, too. To go beyond attracting just leisure travellers to the city, Durban’s tourism authorities go to great lengths to promote the city as an attractive investment prospect that is the South African home of Samsung Electronics, Toyota, Unilever and other corporate entities. That being said, it’s the International Conference Centre that seems to have made the most significant impact on the business travel sector and positioned Durban as a competitive meetings and events destination. The Durban ICC was originally built as a catalyst for economic development for the city. In its 18 years of operation, the centre has achieved this and more to become a profitable and a self-sustaining entity. It has also consistently made a massive contribution to both the local and national economies and significantly complemented DID YOU KNOW? the job creation efforts in the province of The Port of Durban, formerly known as the Port of Natal, is one of the few KwaZulu-Natal. natural harbours between Port Elizabeth and Maputo, and is also located at The convention centre is also one of the the beginning of a particular weather phenomenon that can cause extremely few remaining drawcards to Durban itself. violent seas. These two features made Durban an extremely busy port of call for That’s because the city and its surrounding ship repairs when the port was opened in the 1840s. Durban is now the busiest business nodes have evolved and changed port in South Africa, as well as the third busiest container port in the Southern significantly in the past 20 years. Much of Hemisphere. the corporate activity has moved out of the Durban CBD, predominantly north. south coast in 2010. In the same way that are expected to substantially increase A good example of this evolution Sandton has become the financial centre the population over the next two decades. is Umhlanga, an affluent residential, of Johannesburg, Umhlanga is becoming Just north of Umhlanga, land has been commercial and resort town north of the main economic hub of Durban. allocated to a luxury aerotropolis called Durban, and its neighbour, Ballito, with The commercial move north has kick- Sibaya Coastal Precinct. At an estimated cost these two nodes now in close proximity to started a number of developments that of $1.8 to $3.6 billion (R25-50 billion), the the city’s airport, since it relocated from the

30 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za Garden Court Umhlanga

aha Gateway Hotel Garden Court Marine Parade

Hilton Durban Umhlanga Sands Resort

HOTELS coastlands.co.za Quarters Hotel – quarters.co.za African Pride Audacia Manor – Emakhosini Boutique – Riviera Hotel – marriott.com emakhosinigroup.com rivierahoteldurban.co.za aha Auberge Hollandaise – Endless Horizons – Road Lodge Durban – clhg.com aha.co.za endlesshorizons.co.za Road Lodge Umhlanga Ridge – aha Gateway Hotel – aha.co.za Florida Park Hotel – clhg.com aha Riverside Hotel – aha.co.za floridaparkhotel.co.za Saint James on Venice – stjamesonvenice.co.za aha The Square Boutique Hotel & Garden Court Marine Parade – tsogosun.com Sibaya – suninternational.com Spa – aha.co.za Garden Court South Beach – Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani aha The Waterfront Hotel & Spa – tsogosun.com – tsogosun.com aha.co.za Garden Court uMhlanga – Splendid Inn Pinetown – aha Urban Park Hotel – aha.co.za tsogosun.com premierhotels.co.za Albany Hotel – albanyhotel.co.za Gooderson Beach Hotel – SUN1 Durban – tsogosun.com Belaire Suites – belairesuites.co.za goodersonleisure.co.za Suncoast Towers – tsogosun.com Beverly Hills – tsogosun.com Hilton Durban – hilton.com SunSquare Suncoast – Blue Waters Hotel – Holiday Inn Express – hiexpress.com tsogosun.com bluewatershotel.co.za Parade Hotel – paradehotel.co.za Thapelo Parkview Suites – Cabana Beach Resort – Pavilion Hotel – pavilionhotel.co.za parkviewhotel.co.za tsogosun.com Protea Hotel Edward – marriott.com The Benjamin – benjamin.co.za City Lodge Durban – clhg.com Protea Hotel Umhlanga – The Concierge – the-concierge.co.za City Lodge Umhlanga Ridge – marriott.com The Oyster Box – oysterboxhotel.com clhg.com Protea Hotel Umhlanga Ridge – uMhlanga Sands Resort – Coastlands on the Ridge – marriott.com tsogosun.com

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 31 district will include around 9,000 houses as well as numerous social and public facilities. Hilton Durban Another new development is Cornubia, which is estimated to cost $1.8 billion (R25 billion) upon completion. Cornubia is the first proposed sustainable and fully integrated human settlement in the region and has been declared a national priority project. It will be spread over 1,200 hectares, with 80 hectares earmarked for industrial development and the remainder for commercial, housing and other social and public facilities that will include schools, clinics, police stations, post offices and multi-purpose halls. There’s also the Pearls of Umhlanga – a residential resort offering apartments and penthouses close to the beach. The final phase of the development is Pearl Sky which will be the first luxury boutique mall in the area. Adjacent to the Pearls of Umhlanga and set slightly back from the sea front, but with ocean views from its upper levels, is the Oceans Umhlanga development. It will include three large buildings, two of which are to be 28-storey apartment complexes, King Shaka International Airport while the lower levels will house retail space. At a cost of $228 million (R3.1 billion), this project is the largest private sector investment in South African history, narrowly edging out the Pearls of Umhlanga at $220 million (R3 billion).

AIRLINES & AIRPORT King Shaka International Airport, situated approximately 35 kilometres to the north of the Durban CBD, opened its doors to the general public in May 2010, a month before the start of the FIFA World Cup. It replaced Durban International Airport, which has subsequently been decommissioned. King Shaka International was designed to grow in international services and has an annual capacity of 7.5 million passengers. It remains a key airport for domestic services throughout South Africa and forms the Golden Triangle between Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. King Shaka International Airport is said to be ranked the ninth busiest airport in Africa. The airport offers a host of services on the Namibia and Mauritius by the island’s are situated in domestic departures, with ground floor before departures, including national carrier. the Bidvest lounge open 05h00 to 21h00 plenty of dining options, pharmaceutical Further to that, Air Seychelles launched a daily. Entry costs of R234 ($17) and that services, retail and banking facilities. new direct route to Durban on the 30th of gets you refreshments, wi-fi and the option All the major South African airlines March this year, giving Durban travellers of a shower while you wait for your flight operate into King Shaka International, a second international island option. to board. including Airlink, British Airways operated The route is operated twice a week, on The uMphafa lounge is found in the by Comair, Kulula, FlySafair, Mango, SAA Thursdays and Saturdays, on an Airbus international departures terminal and offers and SA Express. A320 aircraft in a two-cabin configuration. refreshments, wi-fi, showers, televisions The airport has also slowly grown its King Shaka International has four and flight information monitors. It is open international routes in its seven years lounges. The SLOW Lounge and the South from 07h00 to 21h00 daily. of operation. Durban is now connected African Airways Baobab Premium Lounge In terms of car rental, all the major South to Istanbul by Turkish Airlines, Lusaka are available to qualifying passengers only, African brands are represented, and these by Proflight Zambia, the Middle East by whilst the Bidvest Premier and the uMphafa options are conveniently located in close Qatar Airways and Emirates, Addis Ababa Premium lounges are available for a fee. proximity to the domestic arrivals area, by Ethiopian Airlines, Windhoek by Air The SLOW, SAA and Bidvest lounges to the left as you exit the building.

32 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za HOTELS Court to go with the Cabana Beach Resort lobby of Hilton Durban, it is also directly As with all cities, Durban’s hotels are and uMhlanga Sands Resort. Tsogo Sun accessible from the Durban ICC plaza. concentrated in certain areas, with a clear has a further six properties in Durban The menu is dictated by seasonal supply distinction between those focused on the itself, including the Suncoast Towers and and offers a combination of freshly grilled leisure traveller and those that are more the Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani, dishes and local specialties which are best attractive to the business traveller. which came together as one property a washed down with an Ernie Els signature The Durban beachfront, in particular, couple of years ago. Five of these properties wine. offers a large selection of hotels, with views are on the beachfront, making Tsogo Sun Atasca has branches in Durban North and of the Indian Ocean and event space for the dominant player in this area. the suburb of Westville and brings a taste conferences and meetings. There is also a fair smattering of smaller, of Portugal to Africa. For starters, there’s In terms of international brands, Hilton boutique hotels, such as Endless Horizons chorizo, chicken livers and fish cakes, all and Marriott are the only groups with a and the St. James on Venice, which both prepared the traditional Portuguese way. presence in the city. The five-star Hilton come with good reputations. House specialities include sardines, prawns Durban is located adjacent to the convention and cod. centre, which means it retains prime RESTAURANTS On the ground floor of the Southern Sun position for all the event business that Florida Road has been transformed into Elangeni & Maharani, inside the Maharani comes to the centre. The last few years a trendy hangout spot with a number of Tower on the beachfront promenade, is have seen the property undergo extensive restaurants to choose from. There’s Cocos Vigour & Verve. The restaurant is open renovation. on Florida, House of Curries, Taco Zulu for for breakfast, lunch and dinner with Marriott has just one Protea property in a bite of Mexican, Dropkick Murphy’s, Next menu items that include a full house Durban itself – the Protea Hotel Edward – Chapter, Butcher Boys Morningside and buffet breakfast, salads, burgers, pizzas, and two in Umhlanga, in the form of the Counter Culture to name just a handful. pasta, and Indian favourites such as Butter Protea Hotel Umhlanga and the Protea If you’re hungry but have no idea what Chicken with steamed basmati rice, roti, Hotel Umhlanga Ridge. It also operates the you’re in the mood for, a trip to Florida poppadum and sambals. African Pride (premium brand) Audacia Road will sort you out. Manor Boutique Hotel in Durban, just The Big Easy Winebar & Grill is golfer CONTACT minutes from the ICC. Ernie Els’ venture. Located just off the www.durban.gov.za ■ One of the South African groups strong in the greater Durban area is aha Hotels & Lodges, thanks largely to its 2014 acquisition of the Three Cities group. In Durban itself it has three properties – the Auberge Hollandaise Guest House, Riverside Hotel, and Waterfront Hotel & Spa – whilst in Umhlanga there are three properties – the Gateway Hotel, the Square Boutique Hotel & Spa, and the Urban Park Hotel & Spa. If you fancy some action, Sun International’s Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom is a top destination, situated just a few minutes’ drive away from King Shaka International Airport. Set in the green hills and overlooking the Indian Ocean, Sibaya has comfortable accommodation, conference facilities, and a host of dining options. Also in Umhlanga is the Oyster Box, which is an iconic luxury property and has earned a reputation as the premier five- star hotel in the area. It has a multitude of dining options, including its famous curry feast and High Tea, along with an award-winning spa. Another local group with a presence in the greater Durban area is City Lodge. It CRUISING has both a City Lodge (three-star) and Durban has a very popular cruise industry. MSC Cruises bases the MSC Sinfonia a Road Lodge (one-star) in Durban and in Durban from November to April every year. From the 2018/2019 Southern another Road Lodge on Umhlanga Ridge. Africa cruise season, MSC Cruises will be basing the much larger and newer With so much of the action having moved MSC Musica in Durban. Cruise destinations from Durban on the MSC Sinfonia from Durban to Umhlanga on the north include Mozambique, Mauritius, Réunion, Madagascar and other domestic coast, Tsogo Sun has ensured it has good destinations such as Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. Many other ships cruise representation across the star range with through Durban every year, including some of the world’s biggest, such as the four properties. They include the luxury RMS Queen Mary 2, the biggest ocean liner in the world. Durban will be building Beverly Hills Hotel, which in 2014 celebrated a new R200 million ($14.6m) cruise terminal that will be operational by October its 50th birthday. There’s also a Garden 2019.

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 33 Port Elizabeth

Port Elizabeth is one of the largest cities in South Africa, situated in the Eastern Cape Province and stretching for 16 kilometres along Algoa Bay. It is also one of the country’s major seaports and the province’s main business travel destination.

OVERVIEW Port Elizabeth was founded as a town in 1820 to house British settlers and as a way of strengthening the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It now forms part of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, which has a population of over 1.3 million. Spend any time in PE and you’ll know why it’s called the “Windy City”. Beyond the weather, Port Elizabeth is commercially well known for its automotive industry and related entities, and for its role as one of South Africa’s main ports. Until early-2017, two of the bigger automotive names with a presence in PE were Volkswagen and General Motors, and whilst VW remains, GM announced that it would be exiting South Africa by the end of the year. That was followed by the announcement that Isuzu Motors would take over General Motors South Africa in Port Elizabeth. Many other industries in Port Elizabeth are geared towards the motor vehicle industry, providing parts such as wiring harnesses, catalytic converters, batteries and tyres to the vehicle manufacturers. The port of Port Elizabeth is a geographically well-positioned, multi- cargo port with direct transport links to the heart of the African continent. The port has a container terminal – one of INTERESTING FACT only five in South Africa. Port Elizabeth is supposedly the second most historically-rich city in South Politically, the city has seen its fair share Africa, after Cape Town. It’s filled with interesting architecture, insightful of turmoil recently, with the ruling ANC museums and sometimes-whacky memorials to leaders of bygone eras. PE party losing control of the Nelson Mandela is also home to South Africa’s oldest bowling green and the country’s oldest Bay Metropolitan Municipality in the 2016 cricket ground, St George’s Park, which was the venue for the first cricket test municipal elections. The ANC was forced to match played outside of Australia or England, between South Africa and England cede power to the Democratic Alliance-led in 1889. coalition with the ACDP, COPE and UDM. station is in Market Square. the beachfront. GETTING THERE Further to that, and according to the Taxies are available at Port Elizabeth Port Elizabeth lies on the N2 highway, locals, Port Elizabeth is a “15-minute city”, International, as are a host of car rental which connects the city with South Africa’s meaning they believe it takes a maximum companies, with all the major brands Garden Route and ultimately Cape Town, via a drive of around 10 hours. To the of 15 minutes to get anywhere in the city. represented. east, the road runs through the so-called The same could be said for South Africa’s Border Country through Grahamstown, to AIRLINES & AIRPORTS main airlines, with all of the big players East London and eventually on to Durban. Port Elizabeth has a small but functional flying into and out of PE. That includes Within the city, Port Elizabeth’s main bus airport, located just 10 minutes’ drive from SAA, Airlink, CemAir, Kulula, Mango, and

34 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za FlySafair, with the last three providing the Protea Hotel Port Elizabeth Marine. Tsogo Sun’s two PE properties – a Garden low-cost options for the budget-conscious Also standing out on the beachfront is Court and a SUN1. business traveller. Sun International’s Boardwalk Hotel, Like City Lodge, another group with In terms of lounges, there are just two offering five-star accommodation just four properties in PE is Mantis Collection in domestic departures, offered by SAA a few minutes from Hobie Beach. The – The Windemere, Villa Tuscana by Mantis, and Bidvest. The latter is open to any property is also a popular entertainment, Hopewell Conservation Estate (just outside passenger, no matter the airline or ticket dining and conference venue, along with PE), and No5 Boutique Hotel. class, but payment is required. Pre-booking being the only licensed casino in Port Legacy Hotels & Resorts also has a presence can be done at www.bidvestlounge.co.za. Elizabeth. in the city, in the form of the Brookes Hill The South African group with a Suites, which offers the business traveller HOTELS significant presence is City Lodge. The something different – 100 self-catering There are two international hotel groups group has a Courtyard (four-star), a City rooms with great views of the ocean. with a presence in Port Elizabeth, in the Lodge (three-star), a Town Lodge (two- form of Carlson Rezidor and Marriott. star), and two Road Lodges (one-star), CONTACT Rezidor runs the Radisson Blu Hotel on with one of them at the airport. www.nmbt.co.za ■ the beachfront, whilst Marriot has the Also in the ‘cost-effective’ space are

Brookes Hill Suites

Kragga Kamma Game Park

Boardwalk Hotel

HOTELS Protea Port Elizabeth Marine – Beach Hotel – thebeachhotel.co.za marriott.com Boardwalk Hotel – Radisson Blu Port Elizabeth – suninternational.com radissonblu.com Bayworld Brookes Hill Suites – Road Lodge Port Elizabeth – legacyhotels.co.za clhg.com PLACES OF INTEREST Chapman Hotel – chapman.co.za Road Lodge Port Elizabeth Airport – Kragga Kamma Game Park City Lodge Port Elizabeth – clhg.com clhg.com Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Courtyard Port Elizabeth – clhg.com Singa Lodge – singalodge.com Museum Garden Court Kings Beach – SUN1 Port Elizabeth – tsogosun.com Bayworld tsogosun.com The King Edward Hotel – Sukume Museum & Xhosa Culture Hacklewood Hill – hacklewood.co.za kingedwardhotel.co.za Centre Humewood Hotel – The Hub Boutique Hotel – Cape Recife Lighthouse humewoodhotel.co.za thehubhotel.co.za South African Air Force Museum Isango Gate – isangogate.co.za The Windemere – mantiscollection.com Red Location Museum Kelway Hotel – thekelway.co.za Town Lodge Port Elizabeth – Volkswagen AutoPavilion No5 Boutique Hotel – clhg.com The Cathedral Church of St Mary the mantiscollection.com Villa Tuscana by Mantis – Virgin Paxton Hotel – paxton.co.za mantiscollection.com

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 35 East London

East London is a city on the south-east coast of South Africa in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality of the Eastern Cape province. The city lies on the Indian Ocean coast, largely between the Buffalo and Nahoon rivers, and hosts the country’s only river port.

OVERVIEW East London sits at the northern end of a 300-kilometre stretch of coastline referred to as the Sunshine Coast, which is anchored by St Francis Bay in the south. The city has around 400,000 residents and its warm waters and sub-tropical climate attract a fair number of tourists and holidaymakers throughout the year. East London’s manufacturing sector is well established and nearly 50% of the 120 large-scale manufacturing companies in the Eastern Cape are part of international corporations. Over half of the enterprises export more than 25% of their output. Motor manufacturing is the backbone of the economy – Daimler Chrysler’s plant, which manufactures Mercedes-Benz, produces for the local market and exports to England, Japan and Australia. Other industries in East London include clothing, textiles, pharmaceuticals and food processing. The port on the Buffalo River is an important economic player, servicing hundreds of ships a year. It has a deep- water port with capacity to spare for future growth. East London is well-positioned for trade with the rest of Africa. Its attraction lies in its low input costs and excellent infrastructure, including an airport and a port. It is also well connected to the rest of the country by rail and road. To encourage investment in East London, the East London Industrial Development Zone (IDZ) was established on the West Bank in 2004, close to both the port and airport. Around 1,500 hectares of land was made available, and the site is one of only four duty-free development areas Kulula and FlySafair. Johannesburg is 10 hours away by car, in South Africa. In terms of lounges, there are just two in but only a 90-minute plane journey. And domestic departures, offered by SAA and driving the 1,000-odd kilometres from AIRLINES/GETTING THERE Bidvest. The Bidvest lounge is open to any Cape Town will take a good 12 hours. There is a small but busy airport that passenger, no matter the airline or ticket Flight time is also 90 minutes. services between 20 and 30 flights a day class, but payment is required. Pre-booking with most of the major local carriers and can be done at www.bidvestlounge.co.za. HOTELS brings in 350, 000 people a year to the city. You can either hire a car from Avis, Only a handful of hotel chains are present SAA and Airlink both fly into the city, Bidvest, Europcar, First, Hertz or Tempest, in East London, with City Lodge, Tsogo with the latter providing flights between or book a shuttle into town. The only dining Sun and Premier Hotels offering one, two East London and Port Elizabeth. option at the airport is provided by coffee and three properties respectively. The low-cost options are provided by shop brand Mugg & Bean. City Lodge’s only property is the one-

36 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za star Road Lodge, whilst Tsogo Sun has Garden Court East London East London ICC the Southern Sun (the group’s premium brand) Hemingways and the Garden Court East London. That leaves Premier Hotels with the largest presence, with its Premier Hotel Regent, Splendid Inn King David (the original Premier Hotels property and first in the group’s portfolio), and the Premier Hotel East London ICC. The East London International Convention Centre opened in 2004 and provides Premier Hotels with a compelling proposition with two adjacent hotels. It’s the only ICC in South Africa positioned on a beachfront and facilities include a 600-seater auditorium, an exhibition floor large enough to display a large vehicle, a hall that can accommodate up to 2,100 people, and two restaurants. The Marine Park Complex in which the ICC is located incorporates the 260- room Premier Hotel EL ICC, as well as the adjacent 175 rooms of the Premier Hotel Regent, making this the ‘go-to’ option for any conference delegate. East London also has a number of independent hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs. Among them, the Kennaway Hotel Premier Hotel Regent and Hotel Osner on the beachfront, the Rose Petals guesthouse, and 36 on Bonza, which is a boutique guesthouse with HOTELS 36 on Bonza – 36onbonza.co.za Quarry Lake Inn – quarrylakeinn.co.za 10 rooms. Blue Lagoon – bluelagoonhotel.co.za Road Lodge East London – clhg.com RESTAURANTS Garden Court East London – Rose Petals Guest House – tsogosun.com rosepetals.co.za For a small city, East London has a Highgate Hotel – highgatehotel.co.za Southern Sun Hemingways – surprising number of eateries, with Hotel Osner – katleisure.co.za tsogosun.com many international cuisines on offer. Kennaway Hotel – katleisure.co.za Splendid Inn King David – Portugal is represented by Marasol in Premier EL ICC – premierhotels.co.za premierhotels.co.za Stirling and Casa Verde in Bonnie Doon, Premier Regent – premierhotels.co.za The Paralian – theparalian.co.za whilst the Royal Delhi, Bluez Rock Café and Smokey Swallows satisfy cravings for curries and other Indian dishes. Le Petit Restaurant in Nahoon serves Swiss and French-influenced meals in an authentic old country dining setting and Chinese dishes are served at Zhong Hua with a set menu offering well-established favourites such as spring rolls, sweet and sour pork, chicken chop suey, and chicken with cashew nuts. Classic Chinese dishes, Thai curries, seafood and sushi can be found at Pier 99 opposite the Vincent Shopping Mall. For an Italian feast, try Grazie Fine Food and Wine in Quigney, whilst Guido’s Vincent offers hand-crafted pizzas baked in wood-fired ovens. THINGS TO SEE If you’re after something lighter, there Amathole Museum are a number of cafes and coffee shops. Aquarium Try Roxy, Toast or Café Neo for coffee, East London Museum muffins, burgers, wraps and sandwiches. East London Zoo Inkwenkwezi Private Game Reserve CONTACT Mpongo Private Game Reserve www.eastlondon.org.za ■

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 37 Polokwane

The name means “Place of Safety” in Northern Sotho and the capital of the Limpopo province is South Africa’s largest urban centre north of Gauteng.

OVERVIEW Previously called Pietersburg, the town officially became a city in 1992 and in February 2005 the South African government declared the official name of the city as Polokwane, a name that was generally in use by the speakers of Northern Sotho. The city was the site of the now-infamous ANC national conference in 2007 which saw Jacob Zuma take over as head of the party. Strategically situated at the northern tip of South Africa, Limpopo, with Polokwane as its business capital, has easy access to African markets and borders Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Botswana. Agriculture, mining and tourism are the province’s main industries, with Polokwane obviously central to the distribution of these materials and products. The closest entry point to the famous Kruger National Park from Polokwane is about 200 kilometres away.

BUSINESS TRAVEL NEWS The Rezidor Hotel Group opened a Park Inn by Radisson – the group’s mid-market brand – in Polokwane in 2017, handing the city its first international hotel brand (if you exclude Marriott’s Protea brand). The hotel is nine kilometres from Polokwane International Airport and three kilometres from the city centre. Another – albeit local – group flexing its muscles in Polokwane in 2017 was Sun International, which opened a new hotel at the Sun Meropa complex. The group invested R76-million ($5.5 million) in the project and the new hotel flows seamlessly into the casino complex, with a Moroccan theme to it, reflected in the architecture Garden Court Polokwane and aesthetics.

GETTING THERE Polokwane is also connected to air traffic control, and two serviced runways. Polokwane lies roughly halfway between Johannesburg and other major centres There’s also a good selection of car rental Gauteng (300km) and the Zimbabwean via rail. Agricultural produce in the area, options, with all the major local brands border (200km) on the N1 highway, which including tomatoes, citrus fruit, bananas and represented. connects Zimbabwe with the major cities of avocados, is also transported via freight rail. Airlink offers three flights a day between South Africa, such as Pretoria, Johannesburg, Johannesburg and Polokwane on weekdays Bloemfontein and Cape Town. Running east, AIRLINES & AIRPORTS and two on weekends. The flight duration the R71 connects the city with Tzaneen, Polokwane International Airport is located is approximately an hour. Phalaborwa and the Kruger National Park. just north of the city. The small airport There are a number of private bus services boasts a modern terminal building in excess HOTELS running in the city and also services of 4,000 square metres, with plenty of retail From an international brand point of view, connecting Polokwane to other major centres and commercial space. It also has four aprons Rezidor dominates in the city with its new in the country. with a parking capacity of 74,800m², modern Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane, which

38 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za has 160 rooms with full-length windows to let in plenty of natural light and views onto the hotel gardens. Other facilities include a bespoke Smart Meetings & Events concept in three event rooms that can seat up to 100 delegates and free high-speed wi-fi access throughout the hotel. The hotel’s all-day dining Live-Inn Room Restaurant serves multicultural cuisine, incorporating the brand’s international flavours with an African twist. In addition, the hotel also features an open-plan bar that leads to the terrace and outdoor pool. Sun Meropa has 60 rooms – including four suites and two luxury suites – and caters to both the business and leisure travel markets. The broader Sun Meropa complex is a vibrant entertainment hub at the heart of Polokwane and features the upmarket Harvest Grill & Wine restaurant, Cresta Sprayview the contemporary Jembe Tavern – which hosts regular live entertainment – and a well- INTERESTING FACT equipped and versatile conference centre. The Peter Mokaba stadium in Polokwane was one of five new stadiums built for The casino itself boasts 417 slot machines the 2010 FIFA World Cup. It has a capacity of 45,000 and during the tournament and 17 tables, including classics like Roulette, hosted group games involving Algeria, Slovenia, Greece, Argentina, Mexico, Blackjack and Poker. France, New Zealand and Paraguay. City Lodge, Marriott and Tsogo Sun also have a presence in Polokwane. City Lodge has a Town Lodge, its two- star brand, whilst Marriott actually has two properties just outside Polokwane, in the form of the Protea Hotel Polokwane Landmark and the Protea Hotel Polokwane Ranch Resort, which is 25 kilometres south of the city and has a host of amenities, including a recommended ‘walk with the lions’! Tsogo Sun’s sole property in Polokwane is a Garden Court in the heart of the city, offering 180 rooms and complimentary wi-fi. From an independent property point of view, there’s the Fusion Boutique Hotel and some comfortable lodge properties.

CONTACT polokwane.gov.za ■

HOTELS Bolivia Lodge – bolivialodge.co.za Eskulaap Hotel – eskulaap.co.za Fusion Boutique Hotel – fusionboutiquehotel.co.za PLACES OF INTEREST Garden Court Polokwane – Polokwane offers great nature and the world, and Cheune Crocodile Farm tsogosun.com wildlife viewing opportunities for provides an interesting few hours of Park Inn by Radisson Polokwane – eco-tourists. The Polokwane Bird entertainment. parkinn.com and Reptile Park is home to over 280 Protea Polokwane Landmark – species of birds, whilst the Polokwane An extensive art collection is marriott.com Game Reserve houses various South preserved in Polokwane’s art gallery, Protea Polokwane Ranch Resort – African species of wildlife, birdlife which is open to the public. The city marriott.com and plants in an unspoiled bushveld has more public sculptures per capita Ruby Stone Boutique Hotel – environment. The Moletzie Bird in its parks than elsewhere in South rubystone.co.za Sanctuary protects rare birds like the Africa. Polokwane was also the first to Sun Meropa – suninternational.com Cape vulture. The Modjadji Rainforest unveil a bust of ex-president Nelson Town Lodge Polokwane – near Duiwelskloof holds the largest Mandela in its City Square (Civic clhg.com concentration of indigenous cycads in Gardens).

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 39 Nelspruit

Nelspruit, officially known as Mbombela, is the capital of Mpumalanga and central economic hub of the Lowveld, with a number of industries making the city their base.

OVERVIEW Twenty years ago, Nelspruit was a rural town. Today it has grown into a thriving urban city, home to provincial government buildings and a host of industries. The city is a major stopover point for tourists travelling to the Kruger National Park and Mozambique. The Kruger is a big drawcard, pulling in domestic and international tourists year after year. Forestry is a major economic player in the region, with many timber-related industries such as lumber and saw mills as well as furniture, crate and carton manufacturing active in the area. Agriculture also plays a significant role. The area is a key agricultural manufacturing hub for north-eastern South Africa. Major industries include the canning and juicing of citrus fruit. Fertile soils and the subtropical climate provide perfect conditions for growing sugarcane, citrus and tropical fruits – mango, banana, avocado, papaya and macadamia nuts. Mbombela is also the financial and banking capital of the province. All four major South African banks have provincial headquarters here. The city has a strong consumer-based retail industry boosted significantly by neighbouring Mozambican and Swazi tourists. The city is home to one of the largest manganese processing facilities in the world. The motor retail sector is also very strong, with new vehicles exported to neighbouring countries. There is also a INTERESTING FACT thriving construction industry. Nelspruit owes its beginnings to the development of a railway line connecting the east and west coasts of Southern Africa. When surveyors were looking for AIRPORT the best route to the Mozambican port city of Maputo, the escarpment was their Nelspruit actually has two airports, but first option. But after meeting the Nel brothers, who had extensive knowledge the Nelspruit Airfield – the city’s original of the area due to their annual grazing migration, that idea was abandoned and airport – now mainly serves private aircraft. recommendations were made to run the railway line through the Lowveld. In 2001, Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport opened about 25 kilometres north- Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Livingstone If you can’t make use of one of the east of Nelspruit on the road between the (Zambia) and Vilanculos (Mozambique) lounges, you can wait for your flight at city and neighbouring White River. The airport, which was constructed through its partnership with SAA. one of the restaurants on offer. There’s with an African theme with a thatched There are three lounges at KMIA - the a Wimpy, the Fever Tree Bar and Time roof, sports a 3.1-kilometre runway and VIP, Charter and Transit Lounges. They are Café. There are also some retail outlets is capable of handling aircraft up to the open from 07h00 to 19h00 daily, offering for last-minute shopping. size of a Boeing 747. a selection drinks and snacks, free wi-fi In terms of car rental, there are a host Airlink is the major player here, operating and shower facilities. Access will cost you of options, with all the main players daily, direct flights to and from Cape R200 ($15). represented.

40 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za Complimentary wi-fi is available throughout the airport and there are also a couple of ATMs and a foreign exchange desk.

HOTELS There are seven branded hotels in the city, with City Lodge, Accor, Marriott, and Tsogo Sun represented. City Lodge has the 95-room Road Lodge and the adjacent 106-room Town Lodge Emnotweni Casino Mbombela, right next door, covering the one and two-star markets. The mid-scale Mercure Nelspruit Hotel on the edge of the Kruger National Park offers 104 suites with modern amenities and access to wi-fi. The suites come with a kitchenette, living room, and bathroom with shower and bathtub. There are also five meeting rooms for professional events or conferences. Marriott’s offering is the Protea Hotel Nelspruit with 94 guest rooms, two event rooms and an all-day restaurant. There are three Tsogo Sun properties in Nelspruit – the Southern Sun Emnotweni, the StayEasy Emnotweni and the SUN1 Nelspruit. Catering to the four-star market, the Leaves Lodge Southern Sun Emnotweni offers 109 rooms, a fitness centre, 18-hour room service and conference facilities adjacent to the Emnotweni Casino and Entertainment Centre. The StayEasy Emnotweni offers a budget- friendly alternative to traditional bed and breakfast accommodation, with 115 rooms. The property is equipped with a meeting room that can accommodate up to 16 people. Southern Sun Emnotweni Mercure Nelspruit The budget SUN1 Nelspruit offers secure, free parking, 150MB of free wi-fi and bottomless coffee in the public area. The 76 HOTELS en-suite rooms have a TV, air-conditioning Abundance Lodge – Matumi Golf Estate Lodge – and a working area with USB plug points. abundancelodge.co.za matumigolflodge.co.za There are also many guesthouses, non- Auberge Guest Lodge – Mercure Nelspruit Hotel – branded hotels and lodges in the area. aubergeguestlodge.com accorhotels.com There’s La Villa Vita with its guesthouse Casa Montanja – casamontanja.co.za Nels River – nelsriver.co.za ambiance and boutique hotel amenities; Chez Vincent – chezvincent.co.za Nelspruit Hotel – nelspruithotel.co.za the five-star Matumi Golf Estate Lodge Chill Pepper – chillpepperhotel.co.za Nomndeni Lodge – nomndeni.co.za overlooking the ninth fairway on the Cycad Lodge – cycadlodge.com Protea Nelspruit – marriott.com Nelspruit Golf Course; and the Leaves Lodge Deja View Guesthouse – Road Lodge Mbombela – clhg.com and Spa overlooking an indigenous forest. dejaviewguesthouse.com Sheppard Boutique – Khayalami Lodge offers 32 rooms close Global Village – sheppardboutique.co.za to the business district and its conference globalguesthouse.co.za Southern Sun Emnotweni – Hotel Promenade – tsogosun.com facilities can accommodate both large and hotelpromenade.co.za StayEasy Emnotweni – small groups. Chez Vincent Guest House Hummingbird’s Nest – tsogosun.com consists of six double en-suite rooms and five birdsnest.co.za SUN1 Nelspruit – tsogosun.com apartments, all with private entrances and Khayalami Lodge – The Rest – therestguesthouse.co.za secure parking. The Victorian Guesthouse khayalamilodge.com The Victorian – has been awarded four stars by the Grading La Roca Guesthouse – laroca.co.za thevictorianguesthouse.co.za Council of South Africa. Nelspruit Hotel and La Villa Vita – villavitanelspruit.com Town Lodge Mbombela – clhg.com Conference Centre offers 44 guest rooms Leaves Lodge & Spa – Utopia In Africa – and four conference rooms. leaveslodge.co.za utopiainafrica.co.za Mariu Guesthouse – Vineyard On The Hill – CONTACT mariuguesthouse.co.za vineyardonthehill.co.za www.mpumalanga.com ■

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 41 Kimberley

Arguably more well-known for its 19th century diamond mines, Kimberley is now the capital and largest city in the Northern Cape, along with being the seat of the Provincial Legislature for the province.

OVERVIEW Kimberley was the initial hub of industrialisation in South Africa in the late 19th century, which transformed the country’s agrarian economy into one more dependent on its mineral wealth. It’s probably fair to say that the city is best known for its diamond mining beginnings and the tangible legacy of that time – Kimberley’s ‘Big Hole’. It was once a small hill known as the Colesberg Kopje, but as prospectors searched for diamonds, the mound was levelled and then excavated. From 1871 to 1914, 50,000 miners dug the

DID YOU KNOW? Kimberley was the first city in the Southern Hemisphere and the second in the world, after Philadelphia, to integrate electric street lights into its infrastructure on 2 September, 1882. The first Stock Exchange in Africa was also built in Kimberley, as early as 1881. hole with picks and shovels, yielding 2,722 kilograms of diamonds and enlarging the surface area. Although mining still plays an important role in the region, the economy has diversified somewhat. Key sectors today include agriculture; wine production, with grapes grown along the Orange and Vaal JASPER SOLAR FARM The Jasper Solar Farm near Kimberley is a 96 megawatt plant with 325,000 solar Rivers; banking and financial services; and panels that produce about 180,000 megawatt of clean energy every year. It’s the tourism, which is contributing to the growth first of its kind in South Africa and also the first renewable energy investment in of Kimberley and the Northern Cape. Africa by search engine giant Google, which is said to have invested $12 million In that regard, Kimberley likes to project (around R103 million). When it came online in late-2014, the farm was considered itself as a significant tourist destination, the largest solar project in operation on the continent. boasting a diversity of museums and visitor attractions. It is also a gateway to other Northern Cape destinations including the three-quarters of whom are business date, so it’s hard to get an accurate count. Mokala National Park, nature reserves and travellers. The airport is small, but does offer five car numerous game farms or hunting lodges, Three airlines service Kimberley for rental desks, a pub and a VIP lounge, which as well as historic sites of the region. passenger travel – Airlink, SAA and SA can be booked through the information desk. Express. Airlink offers 22 weekly flights AIRPORT from Cape Town and 10 from Johannesburg, HOTELS Situated about six kilometres south of the while SA Express makes 27 weekly Two South African brands are present in city, Kimberley Airport, the site of about flights from Johannesburg. SAA also has Kimberley – City Lodge and Tsogo Sun 15,500 air-traffic movements a year, handles numerous flights from both Cape Town and – with Marriott the sole international about 132,000 passengers annually, about Johannesburg, but times vary by day and group with its Protea Hotel by Marriott

42 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za brand. All of which leaves plenty of room for independent establishments. If you’re keen on a brand, you have the choice of City Lodge’s one-star Road Lodge, Tsogo Sun’s budget SUN1 or the group’s mid-market Garden Court, or Marriott’s Protea Hotel Kimberley. The four-star Protea property is situated right on the edge of the Big Hole and offers great views and state-of-the-art conferencing facilities. Looking at some of the independent properties, there’s the Kimberley Anne with 16 rooms, tech-savvy conference and meeting venues, a fine-dining restaurant and sundowner deck. Carters Rest provides 15 self-catering and semi-self-catering units situated on almost one hectare of land, within walking distance of the nearest shopping centre and two kilometres from the North Cape Mall. The Big Hole Hillcrest Guesthouse offers nine en-suite rooms, a conference facility that caters for 25 people, and wi-fi. At Kimberley Manor Guesthouse, all seven rooms are equipped with lounge areas, en-suite bathrooms, air-conditioning, flat screen TVs with DStv, fridges and tea trays. English or Continental breakfast is served in the dining room. The eight rooms at Cecil John Rhodes Guesthouse can accommodate 18 people and is close to the city’s business centre, shopping malls, art galleries, theatre and Garden Court Kimberley Road Lodge Kimberley private hospitals. There’s also an onsite tea garden for light meals. For something out of the ordinary, Diggies Lodge offers rustic accommodation less than five kilometres from Kimberley Airport and less than three kilometres from the Diamond Pavilion Shopping Mall. Keeping with the tradition of Kimberley’s history and ties with diamond mining, Diggies Lodge was built around the historical diggings and this is captured in the decor and design of the property. The solid wood and thatched roof of the lodge blend with the Northern Cape vegetation. All rooms are equipped with unlimited wi-fi, tea trays, flat screen SUN1 Kimberley LED TVs, a full DStv hotel bouquet and ceiling fans. Or you could opt to stay over in the Old HOTELS Town at the Big Hole and experience the At Judy’s – atjudys.co.za Kimberley Anne Hotel – city as it was 100 years ago at the New Bishops Lodge – bishopslodge.co.za kimberleyanne.co.za Rush Guesthouse. It consists of five different Carters Rest – cartersrest.co.za Kimberley Club – buildings in the same street on the premises Cecil John Rhodes Guesthouse – kimberleyclub.co.za of the Big Hole Complex, namely The Hut ceciljohnrhodes.co.za Kimberley Manor Guesthouse– (two rooms), The Digger’s Cottage (two Diggies Lodge – diggies.co.za kimberleymanor.co.za rooms), The Four C’s (four rooms), The Five Acres Guesthouse – New Rush Guesthouse – Craven Hotel (four rooms), the Eureka fiveacres.co.za newrushguesthouse.co.za room and the 616 room. The guesthouse Garden Court Kimberley – Newlands Lodge – has its own private, secure, covered parking tsogosun.com newlandslodge.co.za inside the complex with 24-hour security. Hillcrest Guesthouse – Protea Hotel Kimberley – kimberley.co.za marriott.com CONTACT Jungnickel Guesthouse – Road Lodge Kimberley – clhg.com www.kimberley.co.za ■ jungnickel.co.za SUN1 Kimberley – tsogosun.com

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 43 George

The city of George lies on the Garden Route, halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. It’s a popular holiday and conference destination and the administrative and commercial hub of the Garden Route.

OVERVIEW With a population of a little over 200,000, George is a small city and retains much of the charm associated with small towns. But it is developing and the economy is growing. George has a sophisticated infrastructure with banks, conference facilities, businesses and shopping centres – including the Garden Route Mall and Eden Meander ≠ transport and sporting facilities, yet retains its small George town atmosphere. A new hospital is on the cards, at an investment of $36.5 million (R500-million), to meet the increasing demand for medical services. However, when construction will commence is unknown at this point DID YOU KNOW? – Mediclinic is still trying to find the right, In 1859 Henry Fancourt and approved, location for its new, larger White built a double- facility. storey thatched Further to that, in recognition of George’s mansion, which growing population, the Spar Group has he named Blanco approved the development of two Superspars. House. In 1903, his Also, steps are being taken to acquire son renamed the finance for the development of a proposed house Fancourt. hydro-electric plant to be positioned at The mansion is now the Swart River dam in the Outeniqua the Manor House, a Mountains, and the municipality is national monument and investigating the viability of sun energy boutique hotel. farms. The agricultural sector, specifically the strawberry market, is also growing, with produce being exported as part of golf hotel and conference facility – then DID YOU KNOW? the new, growing George. you’ll have access to their private lounge George is the sixth oldest town in at the airport. South Africa, was first established AIRLINES & AIRPORT Speaking of the Fancourt lounge, it may in 1811, and was named after the George Airport handles over 600,000 well move in the future, as part of an airport reigning British monarch King passengers each year, with six airlines – improvement project. George III. The Outeniqua forests SAA, Airlink, CemAir, FlySafair, Kulula Brenda Vorster, George Airport manager, were the reason the Dutch East India and Mango – servicing routes from around was quoted earlier in the year as saying Company, in 1776, established a South Africa and landing an average of that: “The George Airport has budgeted woodcutter’s outpost on the site of 350 scheduled flights per month. R7-million to upgrade and enlarge the what became George. It’s also a national distribution hub for departure lounge with 40 extra seats by cargo such as flowers, fish, oysters, herbs moving the Fancourt lounge upstairs. To Africa, there are only a handful of branded and ferns, and has won the South African speed up the departure process, the George hotels in George, but there are a number of Airport of the Year award six times. Airport has made provision for three more accommodation options from independent There is a Bidvest Premier Lounge departure gates to be installed. The tender suppliers, the most well-known of which available to passengers for a fee, a Wimpy documentation has been finalised and the is Fancourt. and an Illy Express. It’s also possible to hire process is well underway. The time-frame The resort is seven kilometres from a car from any of six car rental companies for the alterations is six months.” the airport and set on 613 hectares with stationed at the airport. two hotels, extensive conference facilities If you’re a guest of Fancourt – the city, HOTELS and three golf courses (see sidebar). The and arguably the country’s pre-eminent As with other smaller cities in South

44 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za two hotels are in the form of the five-star Fancourt Hotel with 115 rooms and the Manor House, a luxury boutique hotel with 18 suites. If you’re keen to stick with a known brand, you have a choice of Marriott with the Protea King George and the Protea George Outeniqua, and the City Lodge Group, which has a single Town Lodge. Marriott’s King George Hotel overlooks the George Golf Course, is 10 minutes from the airport and offers 109 four-star rooms, a restaurant and a tavern. Protea George Outeniqua is situated in the business node of the city, minutes from the Garden Route Mall. It’s the smaller of the Protea properties with only 50 three-star rooms, but offers good value for money. Opposite the Garden Route Mall is City Lodge’s Town Lodge with 120 rooms. Expect standard amenities and City Lodge-level Monet’s at Fancourt service. Looking again at the independent properties, the four-star Burrough Place is situated on the main road when entering George from the Outeniqua Pass, and is 15 minutes from the airport. Oubaai Hotel Golf & Spa is another luxury golf resort, situated just seven minutes from George Airport and offering five- star accommodation, along with a quality golf course.

CONTACT www.george.org.za ■

GOLF The Garden Route is a golfer’s paradise with 13 courses spread out along the coastline. Fancourt alone has facilities of high enough La Cantina at Fancourt standard to have hosted the first-ever Presidents Cup to be played outside the United States, in 2003. HOTELS Fancourt has three courses, including Acorn Guest House – the Links, which has on more than acornguesthouse.co.za one occasion been voted as South Alpine Inn – alpineinn.co.za Africa’s top golf course. Burrough Place – burroughplace.co.za Oubaai Golf Course, designed by Edenwood House – Ernie Els, has beautiful views of the edenwood.co.za Indian Ocean and the Outeniqua Fairview Homestead – Mountains. fairviewhomestead.com Fancourt – fancourt.co.za The historic George Golf Club is French Lodge – frenchlodge.co.za popular with local golfers, but is George Lodge – georgelodge.co.za Oubaai Hotel Golf & Spa also open to visitors every day Manor House – fancourt.co.za except Saturdays and Wednesday Mountain Dew Guest House – Protea George Outeniqua – afternoons. mountaindew.co.za marriott.com Oakhurst Hotel – Protea King George – marriott.com Kingswood Golf Estate is another oakhursthotel.co.za Town Lodge George – clhg.com quality golf experience worth Oubaai – oubaaihotels.com Whispering Oaks – considering. Outeniqua Lodge – whisperingoaks.co.za outeniqualodge.co.za Wilderness – wildernesshotel.co.za

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 45 Bloemfontein

Bloemfontein is the capital city of the Free State province and the judicial capital of South Africa, along with being one of the country’s three national capitals. Bloemfontein is also the sixth largest city in South Africa.

OVERVIEW Bloemfontein’s Sesotho name is Mangaung, meaning “Place of Cheetahs” and since 2011 the city has formed part of the Mangaung Metropolitan Municipality, having previously been part of the Mangaung Local Municipality. Bloemfontein is also known as the “City of Roses”, due to the abundance of these flowers and the annual rose festival (see sidebar) held here. The city’s economy is driven by the government sector and some of South Africa’s largest retail companies are headquartered in Bloemfontein. The consumer market of this city is extensive - given Bloemfontein’s location so close to the Lesotho border, it attracts thousands of neighbouring citizens. These numbers are bolstered by farmers in the surrounding rural areas, all of whom help to regularly boost the retail market. A large portion of Bloemfontein’s economy relies on contributions from community services, however there are other significant industry sectors including retail and trade, finance, manufacturing and transport. Agriculture and mining also contribute to the local economy, although it’s a relatively small contribution.

AIRPORT/GETTING THERE Bram Fischer International Airport is a small but functional airport with scheduled flights to all of South Africa’s major cities. It currently operates domestic routes only and its passenger terminal is equipped to handle over 400,000 passengers annually. All the big players, including SAA and Airlink fly into Bloemfontein, with CemAir In terms of car rental, all the major players, HOTELS joining the party just a couple of years ago, including the likes of Avis, Europcar and Many of the local hotel groups are with a new route linking Johannesburg with Hertz are represented. represented in Bloemfontein, including the city. But SA Express is the big player If you don’t want to fly, driving is a City Lodge, aha Hotels & Lodges, BON on the Johannesburg-Bloemfontein route, viable option, depending on where you’re Hotels, Tsogo Sun, and Sun International, offering a host of daily flights. travelling from. It will take you about four whilst the international presence is in the In the low-cost space, Mango and Kulula hours to drive from Johannesburg and six form of Marriott with its Protea Hotel by are the service providers, as the alternative to hours from Durban. Cape Town is a bit of Marriott brand. the full-service operators already mentioned. a stretch at 10 hours without stops, but it’s In the centre of the CBD is the BON The only lounge offering at the airport not impossible. Hotel Bloemfontein Central. Previously a is provided by Bidvest with one of their Bloemfontein is well connected by rail. Protea property, the hotel was rebranded Premier lounges. This is located in the It is located on the most important rail and opened under its current name in July departures terminal. Otherwise, there’s a junction between Johannesburg and Cape 2016. On a busy street in the centre of the Mugg & Bean with a view of the tarmac Town, with daily trains to Port Elizabeth, city, the hotel forms part of the Bloem Plaza and good coffee. East London and Johannesburg. shopping centre and offers 115 three-star

46 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za LOCH LOGAN WATERFRONT This is the largest shopping centre in central South Africa and spans about 80,000 m² of space – it’s arguably the hub of shopping, entertainment, sport and culture in Bloemfontein. The complex has multiple floors of shops, restaurants and entertainment, and the centre is wrapped around a small lake, which provides for something different. Some nice cafes overlook the water, and a big park opposite is the scene of local events. It’s a great place to shop, eat, relax and be entertained. The waterfront is quite a feature and makes for some great photos.

PLACES OF INTEREST Memorial, the Anglo-Boer War Naval Hill Museum has some interesting Situated inside the Franklin Game displays, including photos from Reserve in the middle of the city, concentration camps set up not Naval Hill was the site of the British only in South Africa but also in naval-gun placements during Bermuda, India and Portugal. Apart the Anglo-Boer War. Also on top from a few modern touches, this is a planetarium, operated by museum remains unchanged since the University of the Free State, its inception. and a statue of Nelson Mandela overlooking the city. Oliewenhuis Art Museum Set in a 1935 mansion, the National Women’s Memorial Oliewenhuis Art Museum houses a Commemorating the 26,000 women photographic exhibition that offers and children who died in British insight into modern South Africa concentration camps during the and a collection of works by South South African War, the National African artists. Women’s Memorial showcases a statue of a bearded Afrikaner Orchid House setting off on his horse to fight the If you’re interested in orchids, make British, bidding a last farewell to his sure to visit the Orchid House family. located inside Hamilton Park. This glasshouse has a beautiful, if small, Anglo-Boer War Museum collection of flowers and some Naval Hill Behind the National Women’s dazzling orchids.

Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za JANUARY2018 | 47 ROSE FESTIVAL Every year Bloemfontein celebrates the ‘Bloemfontein Rose Festival’, also known as the ‘Mangaung Rose Festival’, in October. The event takes place in October because the roses in the Free State bloom best during this cooler month. The majority of the festival’s events take place at the Loch Logan Waterfront. The festival attracts visitors and rose enthusiasts from all over South Africa and the world to participate and experience this grand showcase of roses and other local events and attractions, which take Southern Sun Bloemfontein place throughout the city. The festival has made Bloemfontein a popular BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central destination for visitors from around the world as thousands of people attend the festival annually.

Southern Sun and a SUN1, catering to the four-star and budget markets respectively, whilst City Lodge has a similar approach, with a three-star City Lodge and a one-star Road Lodge, which is located at the airport. Protea’s offering is in the form of two properties – the Protea Hotel Bloemfontein and the Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake. The latter has 94 rooms, an executive boardroom, a conference facility that can accommodate up to 100 delegates, and is apparently the only hotel in South Africa HOTELS that is situated in a zoo! Aha Bloemfontein Hotel – aha.co.za Anta Boga – antaboga.co.za Protea Bloemfontein – marriott.com RESTAURANTS Arista Guesthouse – Protea Willow Lake – marriott.com Bloemfontein might not be the foodie aristaguesthouse.co.za Road Lodge Bloemfontein Airport paradise of Cape Town, but that doesn’t mean Bloem Spa – bloemspa.co.za – clhg.com you’ll have to settle for bland, unimaginative BON Bloemfontein Central – Royal Fischer Hotel – meals. There are a number of restaurants bonhotels.com royalfischer.com dotted around the city offering cuisine for City Lodge Bloemfontein – Rusplek – rusplek.co.za various tastes. clhg.com Southern Sun Bloemfontein – Set in an old house, Seven on Kellner offers College Lodge – collegelodge.co.za tsogosun.com an informal but intimate atmosphere. The Corporate Boutique Hotel – Stanville Inn – stanville.co.za menu includes poultry, meat and seafood cbhc.co.za SUN1 Bloemfontein – tsogosun.com dishes alongside a Middle Eastern and Emoya Hotel & Spa – emoya.co.za Tredenham Boutique Hotel – Indian-inspired theme. Hobbit Boutique – hobbit.co.za tredenham.co.za If you’re in the mood for Italian, you’ll Monte Bella – montebelloestate.co.za Villa Bali Boutique – villabali.co.za find pizza, pasta and more at the stylish President Hotel – Windmill Lodge – Avanti. For a more family-friendly vibe, hotelpresident.co.za suninternational.com try Bella Casa Trattoria. Braza offers Portuguese-inspired cuisine rooms. The hotel has a fairly extensive Bloemfontein Hotel, which was previously and serves up dishes that will appeal to conference offering, with capacity for 420 known as the Urban Hotel. It’s a 60-room both meat lovers and seafood aficionados. people in six rooms on the second floor. three-star hotel located on Donald Murray New York is a local-favourite steakhouse, with its decor invoking 1920s New York. The space can be configured for small or Avenue, in close proximity to the business The menu features seafood, chicken and large groups, as the six rooms can all open hub and main shopping destinations. The burgers, but it’s the saucy steaks that are into a single venue. hotel’s stylish bar area is the ideal spot the real crowd-pleasers. If you’re looking for a bit of ‘action’, give for impromptu business meetings and the Cubana is a self-described ‘Latino social Sun International’s Windmill Lodge on the property is fully air-conditioned, offers cafe’. The menu offers lots of chicken and N1 a try. It has comfortable rooms, a host complimentary wi-fi, secure parking, beef dishes with Cuban sauces. of restaurant options, a casino and versatile en-suite bathrooms, DStv channels and conference options. laundry and dry cleaning services. CONTACT Aha Hotels & Lodges manages the Tsogo Sun has two properties in town, a www.bloemfonteintourism.co.za ■

48 | JANUARY2018 Visit businesstravellerafrica.co.za DL AD0105 210x297x3 BTA Final.indd 1 04.12.17 12:14 Level 2 BBBEE Contributor

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