The privately owned hotel, which opened its doors in 1977, closed in 2021, citing Covid-19 restrictions and dwindling tourism numbers. The three-year closure had raised concern among tourism and hospitality bodies.
Its reopening is part of the city’s efforts to rezone the area around the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) as part of “inner-city regeneration”.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city is planning to relocate the taxi rank and the spares and repairs businesses in the vicinity because they don’t “make the ICC look good”.
“We’ve made a very big investment there in terms of landscaping but the environment looks the same,” he said.
“That space must be occupied by more sophisticated economic activities. Besides the Hilton Hotel, we need other hotels and restaurants around the ICC. The rezoning of the space is very critical. It should not take us more than three years to plan it.”
He called for city officials to work speedily on the relocations so there is markedly visible improvement in the city by 2026.
In December the Hilton Hotel group told the Sunday Times it was engaged in discussions regarding the reopening. They didn't confirm a date but said they hoped “to begin welcoming guests back to the hotel soon”.
TimesLIVE
Durban’s Hilton Hotel set to open in March to avoid city’s clutches
Image: Sandile Ndlovu
Durban's former five-star Hilton Hotel is expected to reopen its doors for business by March as the eThekwini municipality was “threatening” to take it over.
City manager Musa Mbhele told eThekwini executive committee members on Tuesday the city had a clause in the agreement to expropriate the hotel if it was not performing as expected, and they were considering activating this.
However, hotel management confirmed to him it would be back in business in two months' time.
“I received a call from the CEO of the Hilton Hotel saying it will open by March. They have gone beyond giving us a letter [with a date] that they will be reopening,” he said.
“They’ve made a commitment because we were threatening to take over. The agreement was that if that thing doesn’t perform we would expropriate it.”
Mchunu assures eThekwini residents water will soon be restored
The privately owned hotel, which opened its doors in 1977, closed in 2021, citing Covid-19 restrictions and dwindling tourism numbers. The three-year closure had raised concern among tourism and hospitality bodies.
Its reopening is part of the city’s efforts to rezone the area around the Durban International Convention Centre (ICC) as part of “inner-city regeneration”.
Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said the city is planning to relocate the taxi rank and the spares and repairs businesses in the vicinity because they don’t “make the ICC look good”.
“We’ve made a very big investment there in terms of landscaping but the environment looks the same,” he said.
“That space must be occupied by more sophisticated economic activities. Besides the Hilton Hotel, we need other hotels and restaurants around the ICC. The rezoning of the space is very critical. It should not take us more than three years to plan it.”
He called for city officials to work speedily on the relocations so there is markedly visible improvement in the city by 2026.
In December the Hilton Hotel group told the Sunday Times it was engaged in discussions regarding the reopening. They didn't confirm a date but said they hoped “to begin welcoming guests back to the hotel soon”.
TimesLIVE
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