Protea Hotel President refurbishment to schedule

This multi-million rand renovation project has been completed in stages to minimise the impact on the business and leisure guests of the hotel. The refurbishment began in October 2008 and the majority of the construction during the fourth phase will take place on weekdays from 8am to 5pm.

Extensive refurbishment

All public areas have already undergone extensive refurbishment, said hotel GM Pieter Buitendag, and work on the rooms completed so far includes:

• Flat-screen TVs in all new rooms;
  
• Stylish laminate flooring replacing carpets;
  
• The replacement of all curtains;
  
• An elegant four- or six-seater glass table with leather chairs in all rooms that previously featured bar counters;
  
• All rooms equipped with semi-self-catering kitchens, including microwaves and fridges as well as the normal tea/coffee facilities;
  
• All bathrooms in the standard rooms brought up to date with rimless glass showers only, or glass protected showers over baths; and
  
• The replacement of furniture, making the new rooms a calm study of light wood, white linen and cream, with touches of accent colour to produce a clean, modern and sophisticated look.

Protea Hospitality Group's marketing and advertising manager, Nicholas Barenblatt, said that the hotel's transformation is dramatic. "The renovation has taken the Protea Hotel President into a new league and it is one of three Atlantic Seaboard Protea Hotels that have undergone multi-million rand refurbishments recently. Our guest feedback on the improvements at Protea Hotel President has been tremendously positive and there is no doubt that it is one of the finest hotels in Cape Town."