South Africa’s first four-star township boutique hotel, Spade Hotel and Spa, was opened in Khayelitsha, near Cape Town, last December.
The Spade Hotel is owned by Annette Skaap, an ex-flight attendant whose aspirations to venture into the hotel industry came after 10-years of traveling around the world for work and vacation.
According to her, the Spade Hotel has been in the works since 2018, but was derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic.
As Business Insider South Africa reported, Skaap first ventured into rental property investments seven years ago after observing travelers flocking into the Western Cape annually from other provinces. She noticed a gap in the market and started developing rental apartments and properties.
“With this hotel, we wish to accommodate our guests, local and international, to experience the other side of Cape Town and more beyond the city. We wish for our guests to leave with an incredible South African experience that will stay with them forever,” she told Business Insider South Africa.
Born in KwaLanga and raised in Khayelitsha, the South-African businesswoman is also a digital content creator and is currently pursuing a degree in Accounting Science at the University of South Africa (UNISA).
The Spade Hotel and Spa is a partnership between Annette and her husband and businessman Bulelani Skaap. Their portfolio has been 14 years in the making, and it includes the Kwa-Ace Lounge, Kwa- Ace Kitchen, and Kwa-Ace eParkin, which are named after Bulelani’s nickname Ace Mabheka.
“We are pleased to introduce our new business expansion with the development of our first luxury hotel, The Spade Boutique Hotel and Spa,” Annette said.
South Africa’s first four-star township boutique hotel, situated 24 km away from Cape Town International Airport, has 13 suites with modern finishes and design elements. It has en-suite bathrooms, air conditioning, unlimited Wi-Fi, complimentary tea, coffee-making facilities, Smart TVs, and fully stocked minibars.
It is also equipped with a gym, spa, heated outdoor pool, and restaurant and bar. For guests travelling for business, it has business facilities and a complimentary shuttle service.
The suites and luxury rooms have views of Table Mountain, the Cape Winelands and the Helderberg Mountains.
The hotel is a response to the rise of urban migration. Their vision for the hotel is that visitors will leave with a sweet taste of South Africa.
The hotel is enriched with the crafts of local artisans, whose artwork, sculptures and furniture endow its halls.
Skaap believes that the hotel will help improve the township’s economy by creating more jobs and promoting local tourism. She plans to explore more projects that will secure Khayelitsha’s future as a tourist destination.