coral international cape town hotel
DESCRIPTION
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.TRANSCRIPT
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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.