Cape Town’s inner-city renewal will be boosted in November with the opening of the R500m Taj Cape Town in the cultural and historically-rich St George’s Mall precinct.

“When the Taj opens it will take the area to its next level,” says Sales & Marketing Manager, Theo Cromhout, “while providing guests with an authentic Cape Town experience because of its location in close proximity to the vibrant inner-city with its diversity of culture, art, entertainment, restaurants and rich heritage.” Cromhout says part of the marketing strategy is to attract more Capetonians to the CBD by offering a Jiva Spa (specialising in Indian Ayurveda treatments), two new restaurants, seafood and champagne bar with live evening entertainment, and a cocktail and a cigar bar.
 
The 176-room Taj Cape Town will be housed in two of the city’s oldest buildings, as well as a 17-storey new tower block. For the past two years, construction workers have been converting the original South African Reserve Bank (built in 1929) and the old BOE building, formerly the Temple Chambers (built in 1890). The ground floor of the Reserve Bank will become the hotel lobby, with the original marble columns and skylight. Eleven room types include a Presidential Suite, 10 Heritage Suites and the Taj Club floor with a private lounge and dedicated butlers. Within the restored buildings there will be 30 Heritage luxury rooms, combining old-world interiors with modern conveniences.  The new tower will house 122 modern rooms. The first floor of the BOE building will house eight banqueting and meeting rooms catering for up to 110 guests, as well as two boardrooms and a business centre. A fitness centre and spa with a heated indoor pool and two saunas will complete the picture. The Taj Cape Town is a 50/50 joint venture between property investor Eurocape and Tata’s Indian Hotels company, which owns Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, one of Asia’s largest hotel companies. Taj Cape Town will be the first Taj hotel in South Africa, complementing the group’s portfolio of 80 hotels. Differentiating itself in the overtraded five-star market The Taj Cape Town is betting on its international branding and focused niche marketing to differentiate itself in a market that has seen a glut of new and upcoming premium hotels and fierce competition as the recession forces visitors to buy-down. Target markets will include international and domestic corporates; government and related business; international leisure; and MICE, particularly incentives. The local market will be attracted through the hotel’s food and beverage outlets, the pricing of which will be aimed at Capetonians. Cromhout says the hotel already has confirmed incentive business for the first quarter of 2010 and the response from destination marketing companies has been “overwhelming”. He says the Taj will create an “authentic cultural incentive programme” such as a treasure hunt focusing on historic buildings and museums.
 
The hotel, he adds, has no intention so far to be contracted to Match, Fifa’s official accommodation provider, which seeks to sign up 80% of hotel inventory for the Fifa World Cup in 2010. “We don’t see the necessity, bearing in mind Match’s restrictive terms of conditions and the massive enquiries we have received from which we may rather leverage long-term relationships with partners locally and overseas.”