Iconic hotels Mount Grace in Magaliesburg & Durban's Edward to close

Global hotel group Marriott International is permanently shutting the doors of three hotels, including the iconic Mount Grace Country House & Spa in Magaliesburg, as a direct result of the economic fallout around Covid-19.

In a statement issued on Friday, the group said the impact of Covid-19 on the hospitality industry "has been unprecedented” and travel restrictions and social distancing efforts around the world had “resulted in weaker demand and economic uncertainty”.

Marriott said   it had been “forced to take the rather difficult decision to shut doors permanently” at Mount Grace, Protea Hotel by Marriott Hazyview and Protea Hotel by Marriott Durban Edward.

“These are indeed challenging times and our thoughts are with the associates affected by this decision across the three properties. We value their hard work and dedication over the years and thank them for their service.”

The hotel group said it was making “every effort to ensure that associates have access to their provident fund as soon as possible”.

Marriott has not yet responded to questions regarding the number of staff who will be affected.

The three hotel properties themselves are owned by JSE-listed Hospitality Property Fund, which says it “won’t close the properties permanently”.

Hospitality CEO Mara de Lima said on Friday the group would be talking to other potential hotel operators to take over as the industry recovers. Hospitality is owned by Tsogo Sun Hotels.