The sale of The Westin Cape Town and The Arabella Hotel & Spa has been concluded. 

Transfer to the purchaser, Hospitality Property Fund, took place on May 13. 

Currently under management by Arabella Starwood Hotels South Africa, The Westin Cape Town, situated adjacent to the Cape Town International Convention Centre, will now be managed by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., owners of the international Westin Brand.

The visit of the Marriott delegation to Kigali, where they inspected the progress of the ongoing construction, has also brought clarity about the size of the new luxury city hotel. Mr. Billy Cheung, who led the delegation, spoke on Monday to the media and announced that the critical room shortage in Kigali’s capital will be bridged when the 254 room and suite Marriot Kigali opens its doors next year.

The first Seatrade Africa Cruise Forum has revealed how Africa is emerging as a formidable cruise destination.  The event, the first of its kind to be hosted on African soil, was held from 10 to 11 May, at the Fairmont Zimbali Hotel.

The forum explored topics such as opportunities and challenges for the growth of cruise tourism in the region, designing shore excursions to meet cruise liner’s needs and to capitalize on the regions’ assets, port infrastructure and development as well as marketing. 

City Lodge Hotels, Chief Executive Officer, Clifford Ross has won the 2011 HICA Tourism Business Leadership Award.

This was announced on last day of the HICA South Africa, at the Fairmont Zimbali Resort in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.  

Mmatšatši Marobe, CEO of the Tourism Business Council of South Africa (TBCSA) congratulated Ross and praised him as a true visionary.  “When you consider how the City Lodge brand has grown over the years, it is not hard to see why Clifford Ross emerged as a winner for this year’s leadership award, she said.