Archive for June, 2008

Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

FAIRMONT HOTELS & RESORTS ANNOUNCES

NEW RESORT IN SOUTH AFRICA
Fairmont Zimbali Lodge Joins Company’s Africa Collection
TORONTO, June 2, 2008 – A new resort today joins the Fairmont Hotels &
Resorts portfolio — Fairmont Zimbali Lodge, located in Zimbali, a mixed-use, 700-
hectare coastal resort, north of Durban, South Africa. Set within the serene confines of a
coastal forest reserve on the north coast of KwaZulu Natal, the 76-room resort overlooks
the Indian Ocean and is surrounded by lush vegetation and beautiful gardens.
Situated atop a bluff, the lodge is designed in an African Colonial style with warm
wood and autumn tones evoking the natural influences that surround the hotel. Each
guestroom features its own balcony overlooking the golf course and beautiful coastal forest
and waterways. Additionally, the Forest Suites offer the discerning traveler luxurious
accommodations within private and intimate surroundings. Three function rooms provide
elegant high-tech surroundings for groups up to 90 persons.
Guests can also enjoy a boutique spa and two outdoor pools, including an infinity -
edge pool. The Zimbali Country Club provides an additional restaurant opportunity and the
beach café is situated at the spectacular valley of the pools. Myriad activities are available,
including the Tom Weiskopf-designed 18-hole championship golf course, beach and forest
walks, tennis and horseback riding.
In 2009, the property will be joined by the Fairmont Zimbali, a new, 157-room
resort with a signature Gary Player golf course, Willow Stream Spa and vacation
ownership homes, including Fairmont Heritage Place.
Fairmont Zimbali Lodge joins the company’s Africa collection: Fairmont Mara
Safari Club, Fairmont The Norfolk and Mount Kenya Safari Club in Kenya and Fairmont
Zanzibar, Tanzania.
On both Zimbali properties, Fairmont is partnering with IFA Hotels & Resorts (IFA
HR). IFA HR is in the forefront of companies engaged in the development of tourism
projects, hotels and resorts in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and is currently
collaborating with Fairmont on a number of properties including properties in the
company’s Africa collection and several on the iconic Palm Jumeirah Island in Dubai.
Wednesday, June 4th, 2008

MOUNT NELSON HOTEL IS THE BEST HOTEL IN AFRICA! CAPE TOWN’S LEADING LUXURY HOTEL SCOOPS TWO PRESTIGIOUS TRAVEL AWARDS Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town’s most iconic luxury hotel, outshone its competitors last week by winning not one, but two of the world’s most sought after travel accolades.

Voted ‘Africa’s Leading Hotel’ at the World Travel Awards Africa Gala Ceremony 2008 The world’s top travel and trade industry professionals agree that Mount Nelson Hotel is Africa’s leading hotel.
Now in its 15th year, the World Travel Awards is often referred to as ‘the travel industry’s Oscar’s’. 165 000 travel agents and industry professionals from over 200 countries cast their votes online, and for the first time ever, a glittering gala ceremony was held in Durban last week (to coincide with Indaba, South Africa’s largest annual travel and tourism expo) to acknowledge, honour and promote organisations who have made the greatest contributions and innovations to tourism and travel throughout Africa. The event culminated in the announcement of the winner of the ‘Best Hotel in Africa’ award. ‘We’re thrilled that the travel and tourism trade has honoured us with this wonderful accolade’ says Nick Seewer, Managing Director of Mount Nelson Hotel and Orient-Express Africa, who accepted the award on behalf of the hotel.
Voted ‘Best Hotel in Africa’ in the Daily Telegraph’s Ultratravel One Hundred Awards 2008British luxury travellers would prefer to stay at Mount Nelson Hotel. The hotel was voted ‘Best Hotel in Africa/Indian Ocean’ in The Ultratravel One Hundred list. Ultratravel is a quarterly consumer travel magazine produced by the Daily Telegraph, one of Britain’s leading newspapers. The Ultratravel One Hundred is an annual listing of the luxury travel industry’s top tour operators, hotels, airlines and destinations, as voted for by Daily Telegraph readers. The winners in each category are awarded an ‘ULTRA’ (Ultimate Luxury Travel Related Awards) at a special presentation lunch held at a premier London hotel.‘This award reflects Mount Nelson Hotel’s popularity amongst British travellers, and proves that Cape Town is still one of Africa’s hottest travel destinations’ says Pippa Isbell, Vice President of Corporate Communications for Orient-Express Hotels, who accepted the award on behalf of the hotel.