[wc_row]
[wc_column size=”one-half” position=”first”]
Century City’s upmarket Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa is now a Marriott hotel, part of the world’s largest hotel group – the first property in South Africa to be branded as such..
Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa was opened in 2009 as an African Pride Hotel, and operated under this luxury brand until now.
Alex Kyriakidis, President, Middle East & Africa, Marriott International, explains that, “We at Marriott International have looked to the promise of the Middle East and Africa region for a good few years now. We began a rollout of new properties in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2014, with the acquisition of South African-based Protea Hotels.”
“The Crystal Towers Hotel has performed extremely well over the years and it has already been delivering to the standards associated with the luxury brands in the Marriott portfolio. With an existing base of international guests and a great location in one of the world’s most popular tourist cities, it was an obvious choice for us to rebrand this property into our first Marriott property in the country.”
Leon Cohen, Managing Director of Rabie Property Group, the owner of the Cape Town Marriott Crystal Towers hotel, said they were delighted to welcome such a strong international brand to Cape Town and Century City, in particular, and for Crystal Towers to be chosen as the first hotel in the country to be rebranded a Marriott.
“Century City is home to a growing number of prestigious international corporates – from Porsche to BMW to Daimler Benz – to Chevron, Thomson Reuters, Absa, Liberty Life, Vodacom, Discovery, Philip Morris and Regus – to name just a few,” he commented.
[/wc_column]
[wc_column size=”one-half” position=”last”]
“The Marriott brand complements all that Century City has to offer and further cements our position as a leading hospitality and commercial hub in the Western Cape.
“Our recently opened Century City Conference Centre is performing way ahead of our most optimistic expectations, attracting a growing number of national and international conferences. Having a Marriott branded hotel substantially increases our offering and will no doubt appeal in particular to our international delegates.”
The passerby will notice new signage on the building, but the rebranding exercise involves a great deal more. Décor changes have been implemented so that travellers who know the Marriott brand will recognize the look and feel.
“This is seen across the hotel,” says the hotel’s General Manager, Carolyn Jones. “Our well-known Taste Restaurant now has a new look, and we have redone the reception area to create a signature Marriott Great Room. We have already seen the positive response from our guests, who are using this area extensively to meet socially, work in, and enjoy a cup of coffee and a snack. The décor changes will continue as we work on the rollout of the new brand – to our Ruby Bar, and the hotel’s stunning pool area.”
In addition to the design elements, being a fully-fledged Marriott means that the world’s best hospitality technology tools are now available in South Africa. Marriott Rewards members are able to use the Marriott App for mobile check-in, and keyless check-in is a feature on the radar for the future. Something that is bound to prove extremely popular is the opportunity for guests to pre-select their room while on their way from the airport using the Wi-Fi provided by the hotel in its shuttle vehicles.
[/wc_column]
[/wc_row]
