After the recent upgrade of the Championship Golf Course at the Arabella Hotel & Spa, the hotel will now be expanding its conference facilities and restaurant in line with growing demand from the MICE industry and leisure travellers.
Arabella Hotel & Spa in Kleinmond, part of the African Pride Hotels portfolio, is adding two 100m2 conference rooms, which will bring the total number of meetings and conference venues within the sought after luxury hotel to 13.
The new venues will each accommodate up to 72 delegates, or they can be combined to accommodate a maximum of 162 delegates. The rooms will be filled with natural light and have an extraordinary view over the hotel pool and across the valley on the far side of the Bot River Lagoon, which is the largest of its type in southern Africa.
They will have a large foyer area that can be used for welcome drinks or as a relaxation space during breaks. The new venues will be equipped with built-in drop-down screens and data projectors.
The Arabella Hotel & Spa is also expanding its Jamani restaurant to accommodate greater numbers of Leisure groups and Conferencing clientele.
The new extension will have sections that can be screened off for groups or specific events, so there is far less impact on other guests who may be dining at the same time.
“We are receiving more and more requests for private dining – especially at our luxury hotel restaurants,” says Nicholas Barenblatt, Group Marketing Manager for African Pride Hotels. “It’s far more than just a trend, which is why a private dining venue has been added to Jamani restaurant as part of the expansion. With the Arabella Hotel & Spa being such a popular MICE destination there is most definitely demand for private dining and we’re looking forward to seeing the end result.”
Andrew Rogers, CEO of property owner Hospitality Property Fund, says: “The Fund has undertaken to explore all potential revenue-generating areas within our hotels that were previously underutilised. We are delighted to convert these previous administration areas into a world class conference facility. The strong growth in the MICE markets segment has been recognised and these additional facilities will assist the hotel in positioning it as one of the premier conference locations in the Western Cape.”
The hotel’s original wine cellar is also undergoing a revamp that will see it converted into a specialised cold buffet and deli area servicing Jamani restaurant.
The Jamani restaurant will be closed from 26 August to 7 September 2013 and the hotel has made the following arrangements regarding breakfast, lunch and dinner during this period to ensure that guests are not inconvenienced:
• Breakfast, lunch and dinner will be served in the hotel’s alternative food & beverage outlets during this period.
The following food and beverage facilities will still be fully operational with no interruption:
• 24-hour room service
• Barnabas bar and lounge
• Laguna lounge
• Arabella Golf Club and lounge
Work will take six to eight weeks and it’ll be business as usual at the hotel, with minimal disruptions to the guest experience.
