Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
bachelor pad rooms on a budget
Aimed at young, business travellers, the sleek rooms don’t compromise on creature comforts, writes Nathan Adams
CAPE Town has many hotels to choose from and whenever a new one opens it has the added pressure to stand out from the rest.
But there is still room to grow, as was proven in a new study released by food and beverage strategy and design firm KEANE at the Africa Hotel Investment Forum.
They forecast that 700 new hotel restaurants and bars will be opened by internationally-branded hotels in Africa by 2025.
That’s just one area in which the sector will take off; another area is in the budget category.
This is where the new Signature Lux Hotel by Onomo, which opened its doors on the Foreshore in Cape Town, really impressed me.
The starting price for a night’s stay is R795.
Aimed at young, business travellers, the hotel is situated in a building that once housed a beauty school and a myriad offices before Richland Properties converted it.
There are 157 rooms and each one is compact and designed as a bachelor pad and decorated in the same style.
The sleek black lines and trendy colourful wallpaper is eye-catching.
For those who are accustomed to the open spaces of a hotel suite, this is not for you.
It’s aimed at the business traveller who is in the city for a few days, possibly even overnight, without compromising on creature comforts, but still wants affordable accommodation.
Paul Kelley, co-owner and developer of Richland Properties, pointed out that the Signature Lux at the Foreshore had a winning formula. He said: “The initial idea and the initial concept was to create a product which is of a four or fivestar environment and feel, but also economically viable for guests.”
It’s evident they wanted to add value to a group of travellers who in the past would compromise on comfort and quality because they didn’t want to break their travel budget.
“In Cape Town, and if you want to be close to the V&A Waterfront or close to the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC) it’s going to cost you a lot of money, thousands of rand.”
It’s become almost standard practice for Cape Town hoteliers to hike the price of their hotel rooms in peak season and when there’s a popular event at the CTICC, adding to the burden of anyone looking for a premium hotel.
This hotel is the answer to this dilemma.
Signature Lux at the Foreshore is within walking distance from the CTICC and charges a maximum of R895 a night per room.
The close proximity to the MyCiTi bus stop and station is an added bonus because if you’re not using an e-hailing service you can hop on a bus.
Staying connected is another selling point at this hotel.
The Signature Lux guarantees guests a standard, free, high-speed internet connection and access to their 200MB wi-fi is complimentary.
Hotels usually cap your usage, they guarantee this is not their practice and encourage you to stream to the Smart TV in the room.
There is one thing you won’t find in this hotel – a landline telephone in the room.
It’s been done away with.
You need to download the Signature Lux app on your phone and via the app you’re able to contact reception.
This piece of technological change might scare some but the hotel said their younger clientele appreciated the service because the hotel staff were but a click away.
The battle for the Cape Town hotel scene is not easily won but hotels like Signature Lux have, hopefully, created a price war that, at the end of the day, benefits every traveller’s budget.