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Taj hotel for Cape Town city centre

20 August 2009

The five-star, 155-room Taj Cape Town is set to open in December this year. Situated in the heart of the city centre and away from the usually favoured V&A; Waterfront, the hotel will add to the rejuvenation of Cape Town's inner city.

The Taj Hotel will be located in the historic and civic heart of Cape Town, on the vibrant pedestrian precinct, St George's Mall, described by Taj Cape Town GM Michael Pownall as "the cultural and historical centre of this glittering cosmopolitan city".

According to the Taj website, the hotel will offer 155 "heritage" and "tower" rooms and suites, 10 sectional apartments, 12 fractional suites and one presidential suite, and will play host to dignitaries, business heads and discerning travellers from across the world.

It will also feature a business centre and several banquet rooms fitted with state-of-the-art facilities and capable of hosting up to 100 people on the first floor – directly overlooking St George's Cathedral and Table Mountain.

The hotel will allow its guests to experience "the rich culture, breathtaking sights and countless activities of Cape Town, from a milieu of warm Indian hospitality and unsurpassed luxury," Pownall said in a press statement earlier this year.

Inner-city rejuvenation

According to a Business Day article this week, the hotel, which is being built at a cost of R500-million, is a 50-50 joint venture between city centre property investor Eurocape and Taj, the hotel division of Indian conglomerate Tata.

Pownall said that with the rejuvenation and reinvestment in the city centre in recent years, the timing of opening the hotel could not be better.

"We could not have done this 10 years ago," he told Business Day. "But now the streets [are] safer, there are numerous street cafés, and there is a lot more life in the area."

Impeccable service

Emerging from the original façade of two iconic historical Cape Town buildings, Temple Chambers (the Board of Executors building built in the 1890s) and the South African Reserve Bank Building, the Taj Cape Town "will seamlessly blend old and contemporary architectural styles," according to the press statement.

The hotel's new 17-floor glass tower will rise from the heritage buildings into the city skyline, with guestrooms, suites and residences all offering spectacular views of the city's famous St George's Cathedral, The Company's Garden, Parliament and Table Mountain.

According to the statement, guests will be able to experience authentic and traditional Indian Ayurvedic wellness treatments at the Jiva Grande Spa, as well as dine at Masala Kraft, an Indian speciality restaurant known for its delectable fare prepared with traditional ingredients.

"Operated by Taj Hotels, Resorts and Palaces, Cape Town's new landmark hotel will continue to uphold our long standing tradition of unparalleled luxury and impeccable service that is over 100 years old," Pownall said.

SAinfo reporter