COMPANIES STAFF

Johannesburg

City Lodge Hotels group has begun developing two new hotels in Pretoria that will bring 389 additional rooms to the city in the second half of next year at a cost of about R245m.

Work began on the 202-room City Lodge Lynnwood in April and the hotel is expected to be open for business in time for the 2010 Soccer World Cup. The development cost is about R124m.

The hotel group also began construction on the 187-room City Lodge Hatfield last month. The hotel, which will cost about R121m to build, is expected to have a phased opening between next September and December.

The group, which owns and operates 43 hotels across its Courtyard, City Lodge, Town Lodge and Road Lodge brands, has three hotels in Pretoria, including Town Lodge Menlo, Courtyard Arcadia and a Road Lodge in Centurion.

“We have wanted to increase our footprint in Pretoria for some time so it is exciting and significant for us that we are working on two new hotels in the city at the same time,” CEO Clifford Ross said.

The group is also working on three other new developments elsewhere in the country.

Source: Business Day