UMHLANGA FEATURE

Umhlanga is leading the recovery

Umhlanga, located in the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal, offers both formal and relaxed settings, a friendly atmosphere and diverse attractions to keep delegates stimulated. Meeting venues in Umhlanga can cater for both large and small functions with ease.

Umhlanga is a popular year-round destination because of its great climate and facilities — it is also a short connecting flight from Johannesburg (one hour) and other major centres in South Africa. The location of the sophisticated King Shaka International Airport allows for quick highway access to Umhlanga.

South Africa’s hospitality industry was extremely hard-hit during the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.

The first half of 2022 has seen mixed fortunes for the South African property market. This is according to a new report by JLL, a leading professional services firm that specialises in real estate and investment management. The Q2 report, which covers Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg, shows that the office, industrial, retail, hospitality, and residential sectors are all growing at different rates.

Mieke Purnell, JLL's research manager for sub-Saharan Africa, said: “The five-star market recovered particularly well, recording growth of over 120 per cent. Occupancy over this period averaged 51 per cent, which is approximately 72 per cent of the rate achieved between January and May 2019.”

In terms of hospitality, according to the report, Umhlanga seems to be leading this recovery.

Umhlanga has proven ‘especially popular’ during the first six months of this year, achieving an average occupancy of 63.9 per cent. This is the highest nodal performance in the country for the period and is closely followed by the Drakensberg and Midlands region (63.7 per cent).

Testament to the strength of the Umhlanga market segment, she said, is the recent opening of the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel Durban Umhlanga. There are eight meeting and events spaces, including a ballroom, accommodating up to 600 guests, and a 340-capacity outdoor terrace.

The Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch is another upscale property that opened in this region recently (December 2020), in spite of the pandemic. The hotel has five meeting rooms, one boardroom, called Lighthouse, and a private dining room.

The Premier Hotel Umhlanga, another new hotel, is situated high on Umhlanga Ridge and is conveniently located in the heart of the blue-chip corporate office environment in Umhlanga. The new conference centre offers three conference rooms, configurable to one large 300-capacity venue.

Other existing hotels include City Lodge Hotel Group properties: City Lodge Hotel Umhlanga Ridge, Town Lodge Umhlanga and Road Lodge Umhlanga Ridge. Most of City Lodge Hotel Group’s (CLHG) Courtyard Hotels, City Lodge Hotels and Town Lodges feature meeting rooms and boardrooms and are the ideal place to hold business meetings and events.

Other hotels with conferencing in Umhlanga include: Coastlands Umhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre, The Oyster Box, aha Gateway Hotel, Protea Hotel by Marriott Fire & Ice! Durban Umhlanga Ridge, The Capital Pearls Hotel and The Beverly Hills Hotel; to name a few.