Four Seasons Enters South Africa

Four Seasons has signed a long-term management agreement with the owners of the Westcliff hotel in Johannesburg, South Africa. Set on a cliffside garden estate in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg, the hotel is currently undergoing significant enhancements and will reopen as Four Seasons Hotel Westcliff Johannesburg in Q2 of 2014.
 
Upon reopening, Four Seasons Hotel Westcliff Johannesburg will house new restaurant and bar concepts designed by London-based firm Blacksheep. An expanded outdoor terrace will provide a focal point of the hotel’s dining experience, offering vistas of the city’s tree canopy and the Magaliesberg hills.
 
The hotel owners have retained the original architect of the Westcliff⎯⎯locally based-firm RSL Architects⎯⎯to ensure that architectural enhancements to the property are consistent with the original design. Four Seasons’ and the property’s owners will work closely with local consultants to ensure the design aesthetic is preserved. Local firm JACKET will lead the interior design.
 
“Having a property in Johannesburg⎯⎯the gateway to the whole of southern Africa⎯⎯is essential as we explore opportunities for growth in South Africa, and across the continent,” says Scott Woroch, executive vice president worldwide development for Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts. “With our recently established development office in Dubai, we plan to be much more active in Africa, pursuing both new build developments and conversion opportunities such as the Westcliff in Johannesburg and Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, which opened last year.”