Premier launching new hotels

When Samuel Nassimov arrived in South Africa from Israel in the late 80s, he visited the Eastern Cape and fell for not only the area's natural beauty, but also its potential.

In 1995, Nassimov signed a deal with the East London Municipality to build new hotels and a convention centre on a large site overlooking the city's Orient Beach esplanade, an area which had somewhat faded from its glory days of tourism in the 1970s and 80s.

The Regent Hotel

Phase 1, being the Regent Hotel, was built in 1999, while construction in full began in 2007 on the ambitious new project which will - by end of February 2010 - include the state-of-the-art East London Convention Centre and the 260-room five-star Premier Hotel Cascades (phase 1 of which will be open for the summer holiday season).

Costing in excess of R500 million rand, this is Nassimov's biggest and most ambitious project to date.

Nassimov said: “The development is set to bring not only conference and incentive travel to East London, but to also significantly upgrade Orient Beach and the Esplanade as a leisure destination. East London and the Sunshine Coast in general tend to be a somewhat overlooked as a conference-and-leisure destination, and we aim to change that.”

He said that a new low-rise leisure, dining and shopping area will also be developed in front of the hotel facing the beach, creating a welcome return to the area as a premium lifestyle space.

State-of-the-art ELICC

To be managed by the Premier Hotels group, the state-of-the-art ELICC includes a 650-seater auditorium, an exhibition floor (taking up to 110 stands) and a major hall capable of seating 850 ballroom style and 2200 cinema style, as well as boardrooms, restaurants and kitchens.

Interior décor will reflect both an African sense of place and the cosmopolitan style of international convention centres.

“In being connected to both the Premier Hotel Regent and the new Premier Hotel Cascades, I believe the ELICC will make East London a highly competitive and desirable convention-and-exhibition destination,” he added.

The Premier Hotel Cascades will include a luxurious Camelot Spa, gym, swimming pool, upmarket restaurant and large rooms (some of which are suites with their own lounges) all offering sea views, free Wi-Fi Internet connections and 24-hour room service. There are also 260 undercover parking bays.

Premier Hotel OR Tambo International

At the same time Nassimov is overseeing the development of his other big development, the luxury Premier Hotel OR Tambo International which will open in March.

Only 500 metres from the Gautrain Station and 1.2km from the Terminals, reached by a free shuttle bus, the 280-room Premier Hotel OR Tambo will be a full-service four-star-plus hotel.

“Far from being just a lay-over, the Premier Hotel OR Tambo will provide all the services and style necessary to make for a comfortable travel experience. In airline-speak it's a business-class hotel that fully complements our existing brand,” he said.

Costing in excess of R300 million, the hotel's large rooms (45 of which are suites with their own lounges) and public areas will all offer free Wi-Fi Internet connections and other facilities will include a spa, swimming pool, gym, restaurant and two bars along with 24-hour room service.

Similar to the group's other hotels, the new Premier Hotel OR Tambo will also contain a large conference centre, with nine conference rooms and boardrooms, able to hold up to 800 delegates cinema-style along with state-of-the-art facilities.

“OR Tambo International is becoming a hub for conventions, as delegates are able to fly in and do their business without having to get into the traffic,” he added.

“Our size as a group determines flexibility along with an ability to be very customer-orientated and is something, I believe, makes Premier Hotels a force to be reckoned with. I believe the hotel-and-conferencing industry in South Africa is due to undergo unprecedented growth in 2010 and beyond.”