25 February 2004

CBN

The Helderberg’s famous landmark hotel, The Lord Charles, and it’s sister hotel, the Astron in Plettenberg Bay, entered 2004 under a new name as part of one of Europe’s leading hotel groups, NH Hotels.

The renaming of NH The Lord Charles and NH Plettenberg Bay is the result of a merger of the Spanish NH Hotels Group and the Dutch company, Krasnapolsky, owners of The Lord Charles under the Golden Tulip banner, and the more recent acquisition of the German Astron hotel chain.

Listed on the Madrid and Amsterdam stock exchanges, the NH Hotels Group has 240 hotels in 16 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. On the African continent, the group has two hotels in South Africa and one each in Ghana and Tunisia.

"NH Hotels are recognised internationally for their attentive, personalised service and their attention to detail throughout every facet of the hotel business and we will strive to uphold the same quality standards when looking after the needs of our guests in Somerset West and Plettenberg Bay,"

says Managing Director of NH Hotels in South African, Dutch born Erik Jansen, who joined the management team at The Lord Charles earlier this year. Fluent in five languages, Jansen has worked in the management team of some of the world’s finest hotels including, Ritz Carlton hotels in Barcelona and Forida, USA, and hotels in Belgium, Spain, Portugal, Mexico, New Zealand, Morocco, Fiji Islands and French Polynesia.

Dedicated to the group’s vision of excellence in design, comfort, cuisine and technology that makes every stay at a NH Hotel a truly unforgettable guest experience, NH The Lord Charles is currently undergoing major refurbishment, which saw the opening of a new restaurant for the summer season. The hotel’s intimate a la carte restaurant, Mangerie La Vigna, has been modernised with new minimalist, contemporary interiors with wood and aluminium tables offset by wooden and slate flooring. The new La Vigna has its own walk-in wine cellar for wine tastings and private functions as well as its very own dedicated chef, newly appointed Executive Sous Chef, Llewellyn Hurter.

Dedicated to infusing flavours, texture and colour into his cooking, Hurter adds a modern twist to his preferred style of contemporary cuisine with a touch of classical French. Situated at the gateway to the Winelands, Hurter also enjoys using wine to explore and create new and exciting dishes and flavours.

The ongoing refurbishment of rooms at The Lord Charles which began with the introduction of a few select contemporary styled corporate rooms in 2002, will continue with the revamping of 93 rooms and 9 suites with brand new modern interiors using natural textures with a mix of light and earthy colour tones.

The NH Plettenberg Bay is a contemporary African style leisure hotel situated on a private estate adjacent to the rolling fairways of Goose Valley Golf Course above the Keurbooms River. The hotel offers warm hospitality, luxury accommodation and fine gourmet food in the heart of the Garden Route.