The construction of the centres began late in 2007 when the Orion Hotel Group, one of the largest independently owned hotel groups in Southern Africa, decided that there was a considerable need to expand the existing conference centre at the hotel to meet the increasing demand for this type of facility in the Nelspruit area of Mpumalanga.

The centre features an interesting combination of Southern and Western African inspired decor, state-of-the-art technology and facilities with adjustable lighting, excellent acoustics and a pleasant ambience that complements the versatility and aesthetics of the centre. "An interesting and unusual architectural feature of the new conference rooms is their dome shaped roofs," says Orion Hotel Promenade GM, Cameron Thompson.

The centre consists of the La Margarita, a 50-seat boardroom with a private bar, the two Jumanji rooms that can accommodate up to 250 delegates, and two smaller additional rooms each seating 20 delegates. "The new rooms are ideal for VIP functions in that we can offer undercover parking and direct access into the venue from the parking," says Thompson.

The Orion Hotel Promenade and the adjacent Promenade Shopping Centre were acquired by the Orion Group in 2006. The centre has 7 500m2 of retail space with 56 shops and 415 parking bays. Centrally located on the corner of Louis Trichardt and Henshall Streets in Nelspruit CBD, the hotel and shopping centre are superbly serviced by public transport, including the nearby train station.

"The Orion Hotel Promenade is now an extremely versatile and well positioned hotel," says Thompson. "It is not only an ideal venue for conferences but the friendly, warm and inviting atmosphere at our hotel makes it an ideal venue for weddings and other functions."

The Orion Hotel Promenade is a popular corporate executive venue for visiting agriculturists, engineers and Mozambican Corridor travellers and tourists. It is also ideally situated as a departure point for the nearby Kruger National Park and it is part of the gateway to the Drakensberg escarpment and scenic wonder spots, such as the Blyde River Canyon, Mac Mac Pools, God's Window and the historic village of Pilgrim's Rest. 

“The economy in the Nelspruit area has experienced significant growth in recent years and there is a strong drive by the leisure trade seeking either holiday or overnight accommodation as they travel to destinations further afield,” notes Orion Group CEO Franz Gmeiner. “We are also very conscious of the need to continue to develop our product and services in order to retain our existing clients, attract new guests and meet the needs of the growing conference market in Nelspruit. We consistently strive to meet the expectations and needs of all our hotel guests and conference delegates and we are continually re-examining and trying to improve every aspect of our brand in order to meet our goal of getting better everyday in every way.”