New USA investment in South African tourism industry.
SOUTH AFRICA – HAMU Hospitality and Tourism Group LLC., headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia in the United States, announced they wholly acquired the highly rated Fleur du Soleil Guesthouse in Franschhoek, South Africa. This acquisition is HAMU's first investment in hospitality and tourism in South Africa.
"We are excited about this transaction", said Anton Hayward, CEO of the group. "Franschhoek is widely acknowledged as the tourism destination of choice in South Africa and the established heart of the South African wine industry. It is also the culinary capital of South Africa and the town's location and surroundings, close to Cape Town and its international airport, are breathtaking.", he continued.
Fleur du Soleil was established five years ago by Tina Botha as a small private, luxurious self-catering establishment nestled in the heart of Franschhoek, which prides itself on attention to detail, superb comfort, great decor and friendly welcoming staff – your home away from home. "Perfect hosts. This wonderful establishment puts many 'high class' hotels to shame. We hope to return". – Chris & Wendy, U.K. "Thank you for the beautiful moments we spent in your wonderful home – we felt like being at home! thanks!" – Linda & Philippe, Switzerland. "an oasis… very relaxing and lovely. What a great place to start our South African journey" – Dalia, Chicago, are just a few of the constant high reviews and praise for Fleur du Soleil.
Before losing her son to leukemia in 2000, her son painted a very special painting called "Sunflowers of Hope", which is where the name and logo of Fleur du Soleil originated. After Chris passed away, Tina founded The Sunflower Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to recruiting bone marrow stem cell donors to build a bone marrow registry in South Africa to help save lives of future leukemia sufferers in S.A. and around the World. She worked tirelessly at this for the next 15 years, before looking at future retirement plans. In 2015 Tina decided to pack up her home in Cape Town, bringing along Chris's painting and move to Franschhoek. "It was here where I found my peaceful serenity, now known as Fleur du Soleil (Flower of the Sun)", Tina says.
The Franschhoek area offers incredible outdoor recreation such as golfing, fly and trout fishing, hiking and magnificent walks. After a day filled with sightseeing and activities, such as the well renowned Franschhoek Wine Tram that stops at some of the finest wine farms in the world, Fleur du Soleil is the perfect retreat for relaxing and watching the sunset within peaceful surroundings and luxurious suites. Fleur du Soleil is within walking distance to the village where a host of award-winning restaurants, local shops, Franschhoek monument and museum, wineries and arts and crafts await visitors.
Taking inspiration from the magnificent Franschhoek Valley with its towering mountains and lush vines and centuries old oak trees, HAMU intends to preserve and expand on the legacy of the founder of the guesthouse and continue with the very high standards Fleur du Soleil set. HAMU plans to continue expanding its investment in various areas in hospitality and tourism in South Africa. "We are very bullish about the growth in tourism in South Africa and the Western Cape in particular. Franschhoek was an easy choice for our entry investment", Hayward said. "We are excited to join in the vision of President Ramaphosa and the Government support for exponential growth in tourism. The recently announced United Airlines direct flight between New York and Cape Town will undoubtedly expand the number of US visitors to an area of physical beauty, weather, food and culture the likes of which are second to none."
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales.
She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
