Hotels in Durban
New Developments & Experiences in Durban
An exciting development for Durban's beachfront is the eventual completion of the Durban Point area project around 2022. This will definitely open up an area of the beachfront that has long lagged behind the rest of Durban's beaches. It looks upmarket positioned on the Point promenade with views of both the ocean and harbour. Here's more news on this development.
Forget about 2022, this is happening now! It'll make walking from Durban's more established beaches to the north pier an enjoyable experience. The beachfront promenade extension will open up Durban's southern beaches and will be ready for the festive season 2019/2020. Landscaping and the planting of natural dune vegetation will give the area a more natural appearance. Here are some aerial views of the promenade.
13/12/2019
eThekwini Municipality Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda officially launched the city's festive season management plan to a full house at the Durban Exhibition Centre.
Tsongo Sun has embarked on a new venture with the introduction of an economy class hotel brand called hi'. Billed as "limited service" the first one is already under construction at Montecasino in Johannesburg, with another 10 planned around South Africa, hopefully with one in Durban. Room numbers will be around 120. Aimed mainly at the young and tech-savvy self-service check-in is offered with unlimited fast & free WiFi and app-enabled content streaming.
Some good news for the homeless in Durban. The Denis Hurley Centre (DHC) has a bookseller project that enables Durban's homeless to sell second-hand books to the public. The eThekwini Municipality also granted permission for books to be sold along the beachfront during the festive season. Added to this, another DHC project offered some homeless people seasonal work at Tsogo Sun. Definitely the way to go!
Ubuntu Design Group has helped this family to move from a one bedroomed shack to a new home that is functioning as an income-earning creche for the local community. Power to this concern as they enable further projects.
A grand idea came into fruition during the lockdown in the form of a giant heart with the words "hope" and "love" created by switching certain room lights on in Durban's Southern Sun Elangeni and Maharani hotel. It also helped to keep the staff occupied and motivated during a difficult time.
eThekwini Municipality has announced an economic recovery plan to help boost Durban's battered local economy. Several sectors are targeted including tourism. Elements of the recovery plan include tourism marketing suited to a post Covid19 city and bed & breakfast businesses being able to apply for residential municipal rates for a limited period.
City Lodge has kept five of its hotels open to accommodate essential workers and quarantined travellers during the national lockdown. This has been done in conjunction with the Department of Health who has sent inspectors onsite to ensure the group is adhering to COVID19 safety standards. This, in turn, results in City Lodge becoming a designated hotel for visiting nurses and doctors together with South African Police Services members.
Here is some info on what is required to travel and book accommodation under Level 3 lockdown. At this point, only business travellers will be allowed and some proof that the trip is for business purposes will be required when booking in.
Technology will help the Umhlanga Arch’s 4-star Hilton Garden Inn stay ahead of the coronavirus when it launches in October 2020. A downloaded app will allow guests to check-in, use the elevators and inside their rooms control the temperature and television amongst other things. The idea is to remain as contactless as possible within an affordable context.
The owner of the Bellézar Beach Café in uMhlanga has decided to re-purpose his used take away coffee cups by planting vegetable seeds in them and donating them to local farmers. The cafe is then buying the vegetables back from the farmers to create an efficient production cycle.
DURBAN Mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, says Durban is ready for tourism business again with the lifting of more Covid-19 restrictions under Level 2.
The proposed a Socio-Economic Relief Fund will form part of the City’s Economic Recovery Plan to provide support to struggling businesses, stem job losses and fund projects aimed at assisting businesses to access opportunities.
As the economy slowly gains steam under the COVID Level 2 restrictions, Durban's iconic Hilton Hotel has reopened. Safety is forefront with the Hilton CleanStay and EventReady programmes being implemented to ensure safety for returning visitors. It's still early days, but management is hopeful.
A project led by a jobless Zimbabwean with farming skills has created a successful farming project behind the Elangeni Hotel on an empty plot of land. Altogether the project is providing income for 15 homeless men and has been named the Elangeni Green Zone. Please support if you live in Durban.
Durban performed very well at this years World Travel Awards after being announced as Africa’s leading city destination and Africa’s leading meetings and conference destination. Added to this, the Hilton Hotels and Resorts group was named Africa’s leading hotel brand and South Africa’s leading business hotel, while Oyster Box hotel won the accolade of South Africa’s leading hotel. Durban's mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, went on to explain that this is as a result of the working relations that the city has with trade partners and that the city can only grow from here.
If you're looking for something different and away from Durban's typical attractions, have a look at the Green Corridors Shuttle Bus tour. The four-day shuttle takes you to some of the best getaway spots in Durban and some of the city’s best-kept secrets. Green Corridors has four great green options for people of all ages. The shuttle bus, guides and tours are all fully compliant with Covid-19 protocols. Do something different!
The Radisson Blu Hotel Umhlanga is situated in what is thought to be the country's fastest-growing node, home to opulent hotels like the Beverly Hills and the Oyster Box, and just a short distance from the Gateway shopping centre. The Radisson Hotel Group has confirmed over eight hotel openings and market entries with over 1,000 rooms across the region as part of its ambitious African growth goal for the first half of 2022. The Group announced ambitions to expand by more than a dozen hotels throughout the continent at the beginning of 2022, and it is on course to achieve this objective after completing two thirds of the anticipated growth so far. The Group's goal of having more than 150 properties across Africa by 2025 is supported by the new openings and signings, which highlight the continent's significance to the Group's overall expansion strategy.
Ngwenya, born and raised in Soweto, claimed that before an education program was launched at the hotel he was working for at the time, he had worked as a cleaner, runner, waiter, and supervisor.
"When I worked for the Karos Hotel, Wits was a partner in their educational program. I was among the fortunate ones who had the chance to pursue my education. I worked as a junior manager for food and beverage in the same hotel after I graduated. I also advanced to senior banquet manager," Ngwenya remarked.