JULIUS BAUMANN

Aviation and Tourism Editor

TAJ Hotels has taken the bold step of building a new 166-room, five star property in the heart of the Cape Town city centre, away from the V&A Waterfront favoured by international visitors.

Michael Pownall, GM of the new hotel, believes that with the rejuvenation and reinvestment in the city centre in recent years, the timing could not be better.

“We could not have done this 10 years ago. But now the streets (are) safer, there are numerous street cafés and there is a lot more life in the area,” Pownall said this week.

In keeping with Taj’s practice of turning iconic properties into hotels, the group has transformed the original South African Reserve Bank and the old BOE building — formerly the Temple Chambers — into a single five-star establishment. A 17-storey, glass-fronted tower — where most of the rooms will be — is the final element.

The R500m Taj Cape Town is perfectly positioned, its doors opening onto a precinct that

Pownall believes that the hotel will be popular with international guests wanting to experience the true culture and history of the city, while its food and beverage facilities will cater for the professionals working close by.

The hotel’s main restaurant, in the old Reserve Bank building, will offer Indian cuisine with a modern twist while an Oyster Bar in the old BOE building will be more lively.

“The Oyster Bar will serve champagne, there will be music and generally a jazzy feel. It is not the kind of restaurant you would normally put in a five-star establishment, but we feel there will be huge demand from government workers and legal professionals working close by,” Pownall said.

The development is a 50-50 joint venture between city centre property investor Eurocape and Taj, Tata’s hotel division.

Despite the large number of hotel rooms coming onto the market in the recession, Pownall is bullish about the hotel’s prospects.

“It is the winter season that has always been a challenge and if we did not have the World Cup next year, I would be really pessimistic.

“Hopefully by 2011 the economy would have recovered enough to support the extra rooms.”

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Source: Business Day