coral international cape town hotel

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SPECIAL REPORT> CORAL INTERNATIONAL CAPE TOWN HOTEL

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Cape Town, with its beaches, wine farms, Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Gardens and the V & A Waterfront, is considered one of the world’s most beautiful cities. And, the perfect hotel to experience its riches is the Coral International Cape Town. For the first time in South Africa, guests can experience the ideal combination of Coral Hotels & Resorts’ distinctive hospitality, through the operation of the Coral International Cape Town Hotel, and Cape Town’s beauty.

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Page 1: Coral International Cape Town Hotel

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SPECIAL REPORT>CORAL INTERNATIONAL CAPE TOWN HOTEL

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Cape Town, with its beaches, wine farms,

Table Mountain, Kirstenbosch Gardens

and the V & A Waterfront, is considered

one of the world’s most beautiful cities.

And, the perfect hotel to experience its

riches is the Coral International Cape

Town. For the first time in South Africa,

guests can experience the ideal combina-

tion of Coral Hotels & Resorts’ distinctive

hospitality, through the operation of the

Coral International Cape Town Hotel, and

Cape Town’s beauty.

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The client, Cii Holdings, is one of the most established

business houses in South Africa, with a wide range of

commercial activities spread across diverse segments,

including Cii Hotel & Resorts Cape Town (Pty) Ltd, and

is now poised to be a major player in the hospitality

industry.

A 5-star brand

Coral International, being the 5-star brand that it is, has

brought its blend of refinement, elegance and luxury,

topped by its state-of-the-art facilities, to the South

African shores in the form of this new hotel. “It has

the look and feel of a 5-star international hotel,” says

Clive Shepherd, managing director, DSA Architects

International. Featuring 137 spacious rooms and suites

– each equipped with the finest amenities – Coral Inter-

national Cape Town combines world-class comfort with

outstanding service. A swimming pool with a pool deck,

meeting rooms, a business centre, two restaurants serv-

ing international cuisine, a lounge area, spa and gym

facilities on the mezzanine floor, are also available.

The Coral International Cape Town Hotel provides beau-

tifully decorated rooms and suites with amenities in-

cluding luxurious linens, plasma TVs, cable TV, high

speed wired and Wi-Fi Internet access. “The rooms are

spacious and those on the top level are all suites, which

are very large in size,” says Rob Low, director, DSA Archi-

tects International.

A hint of Arabesque flavour

With regards to the interior feel and design, the client

wanted to have a hint of Arabesque theme throughout

the hotel, with a combination of middle-eastern and

oriental elements.

“Coral International Cape Town brings a new concept

to Cape Town with a powerful architectural design. The

idea from the outset was to explore a strikingly dif-

ferent approach to design which is reflected in the

An evening view of the Coral International Cape Town Hotel.

Al Zaeem has the shisha for every occasion.

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hotel’s distinctive architecture. Basically, the hotel

incorporates the best of modern architecture with a

touch of Arabesque and African design such as the

beautiful chandelier in the lobby, the arches at the

entrance and the ornate chairs. It gives you a feeling of

a courtyard – this is such a signature element of Arabian

design. While developing the public spaces, much

attention has been given to creating comfortable and

relaxing zones while giving our guests a unique ex-

perience.

Extensive amenities and facilities are interwoven into

the layout to offer opportunities for social interaction,

leisure and recreation. Exquisite traditional African

touches and attention to detail bring a sense of familiar-

ity and harmony from our local cultures. The restaurants

are equally imaginatively designed in terms of colours

and décor. The rooms are generously proportioned

and provide a relaxed ambience with a sleek and ultra-

modern look. Overall, Coral International Cape Town is

a vibrant, high-quality product that embraces the future

while valuing the traditions,” says Jacqui Booyzen,

General Manager, Coral International Cape Town.

The Bo-Kaap

The hotel, being located adjacent to the Bo-Kaap, a

Muslim community in Cape Town, created challenges

for the team at DSA Architects International, who,

from a design point of view, had to mould the hotel into

the precinct and work within the Bo-Kaap context.

The ‘Bo Kaap’, or ‘Cape Malay Quarter’ as it is also

known, belongs to the culturally and historically most

interesting parts of Cape Town. Many of the inhabitants

are descendants of immigrants from Indonesia, Sri

Lanka, India and Malaysia.

The Cape Malays have preserved their cultural identity

and Muslim faith. The old Malay Quarter with its steep

and narrow streets, the simple artisan’s houses,

Mosques and Minaretts reaches from Buitengracht

The architectural style of the hotel blends into the historical context of the Bo-Kaap precinct.

View of the spacious lobby.

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Views of the pool deck.

One of several meeting rooms.

Boasting 137 rooms and suites, Coral International Cape Town takes modern luxury to a higher level. Each suite includes an elegant and relaxing living area with stunning views of Table Mountain.

The business centre.

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The state-of-the-art gym.

The Mezbaan restaurant takes the best elements from India and Arabia and adds a modern twist to create one of Cape Town’s most original restaurants.

The Al Nafoora restaurant specialises in Mediterranean cuisine.

The hair salon and nail bar.

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Street right up to the slopes of Signal Hill. The houses

have been restored and colourfully painted. The archi-

tectural style is a synthesis of Cape Dutch and Edward-

ian. “It is a residential area with lots of colourfully

painted cottages,” says Shepherd.

Challenges faced

With the Coral International Cape Town hotel located

on a very prominent, but restricted, corner of the pre-

cinct, at the base of Table Mountain, there were a

few design challenges that needed to be addressed.

“From a design point of view, the hotel had to sit well

aesthetically. To ensure that views of the mountain

and other well-known features of Cape-Town were

not obstructed by the building, the authorities im-

posed height restrictions on the building. To compen-

sate for this, we went out of our way to optimise the

views of the Waterfront and Table Mountain from

every aspect within the hotel and especially made

an effort to give every bedroom in the hotel a view,”

explains Shepherd.

The site restrictions required improvisation to mould

the building with the corner. The courtyard terrace

and spa were given privacy through the use of form,

which shields both facilities from public view.

“Another challenge we faced was the construction

of the parking. As the hotel is bound by three streets

it had limited space for parking. Our solution was to

build all the parking for the hotel in the basement,”

says Low.

“We’ve managed to achieve a 137 room hotel of a very

high quality, as requested by the client. It fulfills the

client’s vision of an Islamic Hotel within a Muslim com-

munity, while incorporating all of the necessary facilities

to serve an international clientele,” concludes Shep-

herd. “We embraced the aesthetics which are relevant

to the environment of Cape Town, and meeting the

client’s expectations of return on investment.” <

View of the steam room.

The hotel’s two restaurants provide diners with distinctive experiences, signature dishes and ambiance.