On 25th November 2007, the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) inaugurated its Holiday Inn property in the Kliptown Township, Soweto–Johannesburg, South Africa. With this, the group has expanded its South African presence.
The brand new property is built at US$3.4 million expenditure and the Holiday Inn Soweto Freedom Square has marked itself as the first internationally-branded hotel in Soweto.
Chief Operating Officer - InterContinental Hotels Group, Middle East & Africa, John Bamsey, observed, "We are honoured to be the first international hotel company to contribute to the development of this thriving and historically important region. Holiday Inn Soweto Freedom Square will take hospitality standards to a new level by offering guests great value accommodation, friendly and dependable service and access to one of South Africa's most esteemed heritage sites."
The owner of the project is Freedom Square Hotel (Pty) Limited. This is a consortium of some of the leading leisure and business shareholders including Zatic Hotels and Resorts and a Community Trust.
South Africa is among some of the world's most preferred travel destinations. Interestingly, the World Travel and Tourism council foresees an annual growth of 4.4% in South Africa's tourism sector in the next 10 years.
Kliptown is poised to carve a niche as a popular destination on the tourist map of the world. Each year, the township attracts over 200,000 visitors to sites like the popular Vilakazi Street, where two Nobel Prize winners Nelson Mandela and Desmond Tutu have lived.
