Southern African hospitality group, Cresta Hotels, has opened a hotel in Cape Town.

According to Cresta Hotels group executive, Chipo Mandela, the four-star Cresta Grande – aimed at leisure and business travellers – was formally opened on Thursday, April 15. It is the group’s first hotel in the Mother City.

“We are excited about this development, which further enhances Cresta Hotels’ already-significant presence across Southern Africa,” said Chipo, noting that the Cresta brand was well established in southern Africa, operating 17 other hotels in Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia.

The Cresta Grande offers 242 bedrooms, a series of conference and banqueting rooms, a 24-hour café, bar and lounge, gymnasium, sauna and steam room, covered and access-controlled parking area and outdoor swimming pool with sundeck.

The hotel is situated at the corner of Loop and Strand streets, close to the commercial centre of Cape Town, as well as a range of visitor attractions, including the V&A Waterfront.

Chipo said Cresta had had previous experience in the South African market, having operated the Master Franchise for Best Western Brand for Southern Africa in the mid-1990s before exiting to focus on other African markets.

She said travellers would be able to link with other Cresta properties in key tourist destinations such as Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta.

“The launch of Cresta Grande Cape Town is testimony to the investor confidence in the city and the province, and we’re honoured that Cape Town and the Western Cape have been selected as the first destination in South Africa for Cresta Hotels to lay its roots,” said tourism marketing agency, Wesgro, chief marketing officer, Monika Iuel.

“With domestic travel on track and the prediction for international travel to gain momentum from October onwards, we wish the team a prosperous start in the Mother City, and look forward to seeing the group expand their footprint into the rest of South Africa.”