Johannesburg, South Africa, 2014-10-1 — /Travel PR News/ — December 1, 2014 marks the grand opening of Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg, the first property in the brand’s portfolio in Southern Africa. Formerly known as The Westcliff, the iconic hillside hotel closed its doors to the public in June 2013 for a complete USD 52 million reinvention.
Guests and visitors will enjoy five exciting new dining outlets, a nine treatment room destination spa, deli, lap pool and 117 newly decorated contemporary African-inspired rooms and suites. Two new transparent panoramic elevators will take guests on a striking visual journey to the upper part of the property, where the two main restaurants, View and Flames, are perched high up on the Westcliff hillside offering spectacular views of the city below.
Conceived as an urban resort, Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff is ideally located between Africa’s most notable financial centre, Sandton, and the new and revitalized neighbourhoods of Johannesburg that offer shopping, hip and trendy restaurants and the absolute best of the city. “This is a really exciting time in Jo’burg – you can feel the energy and excitement and we are thrilled to soon be establishing the first Four Seasons city hotel in Southern Africa, in such an ideal location,” says General Manager Sebastien Carre.
Kicking-off in union with the property opening, Flames Restaurant, a concept unlike any other in Joburg, will be opening its fiery doors to delight diners who are looking for an authentic South African braai (BBQ) experience. With its earthy, natural palette of colours and textures, Flames Restaurant is all about the easiness and fun of informal dining. Under the management of Executive Chef Dirk Gieselmann, a culinary master who has had a hand in a multitude of famed Michelin-starred international restaurants, the crowd-pleasing menu is influenced by the enviable outdoor lifestyle and local barbecue or braai, a cross-cultural culinary tradition that is inherently South African. As the Hotel’s only all-day dining destination it is centrally situated and leads outdoors onto a wide terrace for al fresco dining with a view. Interactive and engaging from the get-go, the design concept highlights rather than conceals the dominant cooking process with a large, open grill. Here, fire is presented as theatre, providing not only a stage for the best quality local produce but guest interaction opportunities with the chefs. “With a chef of Dirk’s calibre now on board complemented by an urban chic setting and the exceptional quality of South Africa’s food produce and wines, we are setting a new standard for dining in Joburg,” says Carre.
Now taking reservations for arrivals from December 1, 2014 with rates beginning at just ZAR 3,795.00 per night.
Highlights
- View is the Hotel’s signature restaurant that boasts a contemporary seasonal dining menu. Making the most of the Westcliff’s Highveld panoramas, View’s interior was designed by international firm Blacksheep, which counts Jamie Oliver among its clients, and opens out onto a sunset terrace.
- The Cellar Door, an intimate dining venue spotlighting South Africa’s best wines, which are enhanced by shared plates of local cheeses, grilled meats and seafood.
- Après-Spa, a relaxed rooftop bar and lounge. Snack on something light before and after Spa treatments or catch up with friends over glass of wine.
- The Westcliff Deli, the neighbourhood’s new street-side café, has delicious gourmet sandwiches and salads to take away and is perfect for residents in search of their morning coffee.
- Golf enthusiasts are spoiled for choice with 36 of the top 100 golf courses within an hours drive from the Hotel. Some are just minutes away.
- The Spa is housed in a completely new building designed to the company’s exacting standards. The nine treatment room destination Spa will be an oasis of pampering and well-being amid the serenity of the Hotel’s gardens. Full facilities for men and women – both Hotel guests and day visitors – include luxe change rooms, saunas and steam rooms, as well as Après-Spa, the city’s only outdoor spa lounge.
- A Fitness Centre with all-new state-of-the-art equipment is open 24 hours, and an outdoor infinity lap poolcomplements the second swimming pool with its water feature and bubble bed.
Contemporary African-Inspired Accommodations
With 117 guest rooms and suites scattered through nine low rise buildings amid beautifully landscaped gardens, terraces and fountains, the mood is almost residential; a welcoming respite from hectic business affairs and busy days exploring. And yet the environment within is closely connected to the pulse of the city, perhaps most notably with its extensive contemporary African art collection. A carefully curated selection features paintings, prints, sculptures and mixed media by prominent artists including Helmut Starcke, Obie Oberholzer, Gawie Joubert, Saral Petrus, Diana Hyslop, Lehlogonolo Mashaba, Louis Olivier and the team of Arlene Amaler-Raviv & Dale Yudelman, among many others.
The Perfect Place to Meet in Africa’s Powerhouse
Experienced business travellers and event planners know that when every detail counts, there’s no better partner than Four Seasons. With expert staff at the ready, guests are free to focus on the business at hand, knowing that every detail will be executed with precision.
Function options include 1,457 square metres (15,683 square feet) of naturally-lit event spaces, highlighted by the 615 square metre (6,620 square foot) Arcadia Ballroom. With panoramic views and its own terrace, the room is divisible and features a pre-function space. Thirteen additional rooms offer a choice of smaller venues, or a complete suite for a conference.
Dream Weddings
With the weather pleasant year-round, 842 square metres (9,063 square feet) of outdoor space offer a fresh alternative for receptions, and gloriously romantic backdrops for weddings.
For honeymooners fantasizing about an African adventure, Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff is the perfect place to begin married life before going on safari in South Africa and Botswana, or further afield at the Hotel’s sister property in the Serengeti, or perhaps jetting off to tropical bliss in Mauritius or Seychelles.
Four Seasons in Africa
Long established with four properties in Egypt (two in Cairo, one in Alexandria, and one on the Red Sea – a resort once voted #1 in the world under the leadership of Sebastien Carre, now General Manager in Johannesburg) and more recently with the opening of a resort in Marrakech, the first of three planned locations in Morocco, Four Seasons has recently entered Sub-Saharan Africa with the 2012 opening of Four Seasons Safari Lodge Serengeti, the first of three planned properties in Tanzania. Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg is the brand’s first hotel in South Africa, with resorts in the Seychelles and Mauritius completing the collection – for now.
“Africa is an important development market for Four Seasons, so now that we are establishing our first city property in Southern Africa, travellers can look forward to news about more urban and resort locations in the future,” promises Carre.
PRESS CONTACTS
Gene Redelinghuys
Public Relations Manager
67 Jan Smuts Avenue, Westcliff, P.O. Box 2700, Saxonwold, 2132
Johannesburg,
South Africa
gene.redelinghuys@fourseasons.com
27 (0) 11 481 6030
###
Four Season Hotel The Westcliff Johannesburg