NEWS

Johannesburg welcomes new hotels

Tourism has gotten off to a promising beginning in 2022 as Africa’s first voco hotel opened in the trendy Rosebank District. This comes after the recent launch of The Playground Market in Braamfontein and the return of the Makhelwane Festival in Soweto — alongside the December opening of the Hyatt House boutique hotel in Sandton.

“After the two-year hiatus caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s truly encouraging and exciting to see that Joburg is back in business,” said Councillor Nkululeko Mbundu, MMC for Economic Development at the City of Johannesburg. “We’re thrilled to see investors expressing their confidence in our city and destination once again. We welcome them with open arms and look forward to promoting and supporting them as part of a vibrant, unrivaled destination Joburg.”

“We have been heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic — our communities and our economy have suffered blows both in human and economic terms,” Mr Mbundu said. “We have lost friends and loved ones, many businesses are in distress and many people have lost their jobs. Although economies around the world are recovering from the collapse in output after the widespread lockdowns, the road back from the pandemic will, in the words of the IMF, be long, uneven and highly uncertain. We must seize the opportunity the crisis represents to rebuild and refocus our economy, in the process ensuring it is more competitive and adapted to the changes that the pandemic and technology have brought to the world. A greener, more technology absorbing and more jobs intensive economy is possible given the right mindset and appropriate planning. From the City of Johannesburg’s perspective, it is our intention to play our part in building partnerships between government, the private sector and research institutions to achieve this.”

The Bank Johannesburg Rosebank

Operated by IHG Hotels & Resorts, voco The Bank Johannesburg Rosebank is the first voco property to open in Africa. “The Bank is a distinctive hotel with an individual character in the buzzing ‘walk-work-play’ district of Rosebank and will be a great addition to the destination. This new opening in the trendy hub of Rosebank adds to the momentum we are building in India, Middle East and Africa (IMEA) region, with six hotels opening in key cities," said Haitham Mattar, managing director IMEA at IHG.

The 131-room property is described as a striking new architectural gem, a short distance from the Gautrain. The beautifully appointed rooms and suites also feature an enviable collection of original local artwork. Occupying six floors of a mixeduse Bank building, the hotel shares this innovative space with signature tenants such as Rand Merchant Investments, Bespoke Man Barbers and Tailor Me, with the Rosebank Mall, The Firs and The Zone shopping centres right on its doorstep.

“An upscale sanctuary in the heart of one of the city’s trendiest districts, an international business hub renowned for its shopping, art and design, voco The Bank Johannesburg Rosebank delivers on the promise of its name — to invite or come together in Latin.”

Moreover, The Bank Johannesburg prides itself on implementing leading global sustainable practices. “We know that nowadays people like to feel that they are making a difference,” said general manager, Jessica Redinger. “We’ve gone out of our way to minimise the impact of our hotel on the environment, using best practice sustainable guidelines wherever we are able to. But it is just as important for us to look after our guests while looking after the planet. So, we have not sacrificed our world-class amenities and the comfortable and friendly guest experience that people have come to expect from voco.”