Umhlanga, Zulu Kingdom, in South Africa, is poised to get a huge R660 million leisure and entertainment resort boasting a 150-room…
Umhlanga, Zulu Kingdom, in South Africa, is poised to get a huge R660 million leisure and entertainment resort boasting a 150-room, five-star international hotel, reports the Mercury. This is part of one of the biggest foreign direct investments in the history of South African tourism.
About R1.6 billion is to be injected into a black economic empowerment South African-based leisure group, Notae Resorts, by a United States-based hedge fund for the first three developments in South Africa, which are part of 17 developments in Africa over the next 14 years.
Notae Resorts is a joint venture spearhead by Durban businessman Carl Eaton, the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Notae Group. The group is an international entertainment, development and investment company with offices in Durban, Johannesburg and New Jersey, US.
Eaton said the 150-room Umhlanga hotel development would be unique. The complex would include apartments, luxury bungalows, a private residency club, conference facilities, upmarket high-end fashion retail outlets and an arts centre.
The arts centre includes a world-class theatre, art gallery, audio and audio-visual studios, including an outdoor amphitheatre, a school of excellence for hospitality and entertainment training, a tourism centre and a mix of family and fine dining restaurants, said Eaton.
He said the 80 000m2 resort in Umhlanga, near the McDonalds restaurant at Gateway, would be the first of its kind in Southern Africa and have some of the world`s biggest players involved.
Washington DC-based Marriott International, one of the largest hotel groups in the world, has signed a letter of intent with Notae Resorts to manage the hotel.
Joop Demes, Managing Director of Golding Hotel Investment Consultants, has been appointed by Marriott to facilitate the process.
Marriott is extremely bullish about entering the South African marketplace and is treating this exciting project in Umhlanga, Durban, as a priority, said Demes.
Eaton said he expected to break ground on the development in early 2006 and for it to be launched before the end of 2007. He said the group was in the process of finalising zoning and approvals from the various authorities and obtaining SA Reserve Bank approval.
Notae Resorts Umhlanga will be a destination of distinction, something that is not available on the African continent, and at the cutting edge of hotel development worldwide, said Eaton. He said the retail stores would include international brand names like Gucci, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Prada, and an exclusive jeweller for the high-end market.
The retail component will also house Africa`s largest wedding design store, providing the consumer with a one- stop destination for all wedding requirements, said Eaton.
The arts centre will be comparable to the world`s most unique destinations of entertainment, like those in Atlantic City and Las Vegas, providing world-class entertainment and facilities. The facilities would include a world-class theatre and post- production audio and visual studios.
Eaton has worked in the South African music industry for more than a decade, producing and managing some of the country`s biggest artists with his brother, Vaughn. The pair have built close relationships with giants in the American music industry which will help them to attract superstar artists to the complex.
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