Hotels full as holiday events get under way

WITH schools officially closed today and the HSBC Sevens tournament taking place in Nelson Mandela Bay this weekend, accommodation establishments are bursting at the seams with thousands of people expected to flock into the city this festive season.

The Cell C Nelson Mandela Bay Sevens rugby tournament is expected to attract at least 60 000 people.

Most establishments expressed satisfaction at the number of bookings made for the weekend and for the festive season.

“We are getting pretty busy with the Sevens and the rest of the festive season,” Bishops Inn Guest House’s Belinda Schroeder said.

She said they were booked up until the beginning of January and were mostly hosting families.

Brookes Hill Suites manager Tonya Gorham said they were 80% booked for the weekend and about 75% for the festive season.

“This year people seem to have planned well for their holidays because we were booked well in advance compared to the previous year, where it was last minute.”

Courtyard Hotel reservations manager Kim Theys said they were “extremely” busy this year.

“We are quite busy with the Sevens and from the 14th onwards because it’s the opening of the season. We are also almost full for Ironman in April. Bookings seem to have improved.”

The Beach Hotel spokeswoman Lin-Mare Reeves-Williams said things were looking positive for accommodation establishments, especially with the sporting events taking place in the city.

“Things are looking so much better for us compared to last year.”

Garden Court hotel manager Erika Rautenbach said: “This is going to be an exceptional season. All 16 rugby teams are staying with us. After the rugby, we have bookings for other events.”

She said they would also be busy between Christmas and New Year.

Isango Gate Boutique Hotel manager Angelique Power said they had seen an increase in occupancy rates this year.

“As a five-star hotel, we are very fortunate because we’ve been fully booked for a long time,” she said.

“We are satisfied with the bookings this year.”

Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism spokesman Titus Chuene said based on the current trend in bookings, they were optimistic about the festive season.

“It’s early to tell how many people we are expecting as most holiday-makers start coming to the city in the second or third week of December, but we are optimistic about the festive season.”