16 Oct 2013
One of Durban’s foremost and leading hotels Three Cities Riverside Hotel & Spa has been rejuvenated and revived with a fresh contemporary timeless appeal, after the 15 year old Hotel began the July 16, 2013 public area and two mock-up room refurbishments.
Located high on the banks of the Umgeni River, the four-star Three Cities Riverside Hotel & Spa underwent its very first major renovation after a soft refurbishment implemented five years ago when the Hotel changed the carpets and colour schemes in the 169 rooms. The Conference Centre was renovated at the beginning of this year when major change was made to the entrance and basic aesthetics of the venue including carpeting; lighting; painting and touch-ups.
Virtu’ Designs cc International are the appointed Interior Designers and Space Planners on the project with the vision of “creating of an international venue that accommodates maximum use of space with a fresh timeless appeal.” The Project was managed by the Riverside Hotel.
Most excited about the make-over project Three Cities Riverside Hotel & Spa General Manager Jerod Flaum explained the extent of the reformation on the Hotel that he has been managing for the last year.
“The areas that came under the hammer during the mock-up refurbishments were the Port Cochere; the 24 hour Reception Area and Lobby Entrance; the General Manager and Executive Manager’s offices; the passages to the rooms; a 35sqm deluxe single room and a 47sqm standard double suite. The external building has also been repainted white and the guttering renewed.
We expected a six week turn-around time on the mock-ups for display. Once this is ready, the trustees of the sectional title Hotel will be required to approve the mock-ups. The balance of the 167 rooms will then be completed during an 11 month project.”
The major renovations included:
PORT COCHERE
The current koi fish pond was replaced with a custom designed water feature
Landscaped gardens were hedged into the pillar columns.
A highlight feature will be a chandelier lantern-type over the main entrance door
24 HOUR RECEPTION AREA and ENTRANCE LOBBY
The area was upgraded to include some new furniture and an upgrade of the existing reception desk
The layout will remain the same, with a fresh classic contemporary lounge arrangement
The paint scheme is of neutral tones with accent feature colours, new wall decorative pieces to include mirrors, all keeping in theme with the feel of this landmark Hotel
PASSAGES TO THE ROOMS
Light fittings changed to stainless steel to include an element of the Hotel’s logo design
BEDROOMS
There was a complete lighter appeal moving away from the current dark woods and burgundy
Furniture is now be loose standing and classic rather than fitted
Provision was made for laptop users
The major make-over included an over haul of the 15-year old bathrooms. They are contemporary in design and include new tiles; baths; basins; vanities; fittings and fixtures.
The toilets were moved to be more private within the bathroom space.
Completed at the end of August, Flaum expressed his eagerness to finally raise the bar in aesthetic delivery as the Hotel evolves into a worthy competitor within the industry.
“We are extremely excited and looking forward to a remarkable difference. From a standards perspective, the Hotel was beginning to lack because of the greyness in the aesthetics. The grading criteria had surpassed our ability to modernise, but with the new look and feel, it will surely maintain our 4-star level.”
He said that he was most confident that the Hotel would then be in a position to compete quite adequately with other hospitality venues within Umhlanga.
“Three Cities Riverside Hotel & Spa has always enjoyed the benefit of being supremely located. From a short distance to the City Centre; a stone’s throw away from the iconic Moses Mabhida Stadium and other entertainment venue offerings to a short drive to the hustle and bustle of Umhlanga’s vibrant social hub and business centre. The Hotel has always been at the centre of major City sporting and other events, and has time and time again remarkably catered its services to guests.”
Flaum added that for many of the Hotel’s corporate clients who constitute 30% of the Hotel’s room occupancy, it was “a home away from home” and now the Hotel rooms would be better equipped and appropriately fitted to provide better technological service to their business clientele.
During the final refurbishments of the remaining 167 rooms, Flaum said at no stage will the Hotel shut down. Rather 18 rooms at a time will shut down for a six week period. Once the first 18 rooms are complete, they will come back into circulation as the next 18 rooms close to go under renovations.
“We are grateful to our loyal guests and cannot wait to share our new facelift with guests and visitors alike. This is indeed a prolific change for the Hotel and we know that once the refurbishments are completed, Three Cities Riverside Hotel & Spa will be a recognised work of building art and deco.”
For more information on The Three Cities Group visit www.threecities.co.za
For media questions please contact:
Prinella Pillay for Three Cities Hospitality Group
071 673 6552
prinellap@eventpr.co.za
THE THREE CITIES GROUP
Three Cities Management was formed in 1988 as a hospitality group offering specialised services in the tourism industry.
Today The Three Cities Group manages and markets over 32 quality tourism and leisure properties and has a strong network of sales and marketing specialists working out of Johannesburg, Durban, Cape Town, United Kingdom and Germany.
Its distinctively unique portfolio of properties includes Exceptional Hotels and Exceptional Safari Lodges as well as three campuses of The International Hotel School (IHS). The Three Cities Group was also instrumental in the conceptualization and management for 10 years of the largest Marine Theme Park in Africa – uShaka Marine World in Durban.
Its unique portfolio of properties offers a diverse range of Africa’s finest hotels, resorts and game lodges situated in the major tourist and business centres of Africa.
