Pictured left to right - Amir Golbarg – Senior Vice President, Minor Hotels Middle East Africa & India, Lema Yazigi – Director of Development, Minor Hotels Middle East, Alex Cavaleros – Head of International Acquisitions, The Cavaleros Group, William Heinecke – Chairman & Founder, Minor International, Penny Cavaleros – Chief Executive Officer, The Cavaleros Group, Ramine Behnam – Vice President Development, Minor Hotels Middle East & Africa, Bruno Pessoa – Group Director Design & Technical Services, Minor Hotels Middle East, Africa & India, David Garner – Vice President Commercial, Minor Hotels Middle East, Africa & India, Mathieu Droeven – Development Analyst, Minor Hotels Middle East & Africa
Minor Hotels, an international hotel owner, operator and investor with more than 540 hotels in 56 countries in Asia Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, the Indian Ocean, Europe and the Americas, has signed a strategic partnership with The Cavaleros Group to manage a hotel in Sandton, Johannesburg. The signing represents the upcoming debut of Minor Hotels’ NH Collection brand on the African continent.
From 1 July 2024 the group will manage the hotel in Sandton, the financial district of South Africa’s largest city. The 329-key property will first operate as NH Sandton and subsequently, following an extensive refurbishment of the property, will be rebranded as NH Collection Sandton.
This iconic hotel, spanning 30 years of successful operation, is located approximately 20 kilometres from O.R. Tambo International Airport. NH Sandton will offer a selection of guest room categories including lead-in rooms, suites, one-bedroom suites and the 145 square metre Royal Suite. Facilities at the property will include two restaurants and two bars, an executive lounge, conference facilities, in addition to a gym and large outdoor swimming pool.
This partnership between Minor Hotels and The Cavaleros Group secures the opportunity for Minor Hotels to pioneer their inaugural venture in South Africa, which is recognised as the second largest economy on the continent in terms of GDP and is a country which the hotel group is targeting for future development. Both Minor Hotels and The Cavaleros Group plan to foster a strong relationship, with the intention to partner together on future hospitality opportunities throughout the African continent.
William Heinecke, Chairman and Founder of Minor International, parent company of Minor Hotels, commented, “We are thrilled to sign this strategic partnership with The Cavaleros Group to launch NH and soon NH Collection in South Africa and with it launch our first property in the country. This property will join our growing portfolio of hotels in Africa, where our Anantara, Avani and Elewana brands are already present. We look forward to a long and fruitful partnership with Penny and the Cavaleros team.”
Penny Cavaleros, Chief Executive Officer of The Cavaleros Group, also commented, “The decision to partner with Minor Hotels for our Sandton Hotel and Africa was legendary for The Cavaleros Group. We, as a Group, identified certain asset classes within the property sector which we will aggressively pursue, hospitality being one with exponential growth into the African continent. Over the past three years we have engaged with all international hotel groups and concluded and recognised that Minor Hotels’ history, speed and culture is synonymous with our core Group values. We are currently considering several hospitality opportunities across the continent and have commenced our due diligence process.”
The Cavaleros Group was established in South Africa in 1926, with the property arm being established in 1967 by the late Cosmas Cavaleros (Founder and Chairman), led by Penny Cavaleros (Chief Executive Officer) and Alexi Cavaleros (Head of International Acquisitions). The Cavaleros Group is one of the largest privately-owned property groups in South Africa, with its core business being the investment and development of data centres, commercial, industrial, hospitality and retail properties, both locally and internationally. It is a leading and respected member of the local and international property industry, having assembled and growing a portfolio of institutional-quality assets.