A greener Grand Hotel on track for opening in time for peak tourism season

The City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, Alderman James Vos, recently conducted a site visit to check the progress of the R122 million upgrade of the Grand Hotel at GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World in Goodwood which is scheduled to open by November 2023 – just in time for the peak tourism season. Read more below:

GrandWest is part of the Sun International group and is the biggest casino and leisure complex in South Africa. Construction started in November 2022 and was marked by a sod-turning ceremony officiated by Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

‘I’m happy to report that the project is on track and the new hotel is scheduled to be ready to welcome visitors for the summer holiday period. Forward bookings for December are already at 100%, signalling the great demand from tourists for spending their holidays in the Mother City,’ said Alderman Vos.

This phase of the project will add 68 rooms to the hotel, bringing the total to 103. This is the first phase of a master plan to add further exciting developments to the complex.

‘It’s also worthwhile noting that this development is keeping sustainability top of mind and will be the first of the Sun International sites to install green energy solutions and will be used as a pilot for the group’s other projects. One of the features in this regard is an R18 million water purification plant giving the hotel the capability to go entirely off grid,’ said Alderman Vos.

While the site will boast these modern features, the hotel also pays homage to Cape Town’s heritage by recreating the design of a hotel built in 1894 (and demolished in 1951) on the corner of Adderley and Strand streets in Cape Town CBD.

GrandWest General Manager Mervyn Naidoo said retaining this style was one of the challenges for architects.

‘Uniquely, all of GrandWest’s façades are scaled-down recreations of old Cape Town buildings – the much-mourned Tivoli Music Hall (demolished in the 1930s), the sorely missed Alhambra Theatre (demolished in 1970), the Old Railway Station (1905 – 1968), and Cartwright’s Corner, that now-vanished Adderley Street landmark upon which the hotel is based. We aim to honour Cape Town’s rich history and cultures while simultaneously looking to the future with cleaner, greener structures,’ said Naidoo.

Alderman Vos said the revamped hotel will also create new jobs.

‘Both the construction and the upgraded hotel will boost jobs, showing that my mission of creating a tourism-related job in every household in Cape Town is achievable. In Cape Town, the City has created the environment for growth to be realised across industries and for all Capetonians,’ said Alderman Vos.