BlackBrick Hotels is expanding into KwaZulu-Natal with an 81-room hotel in Umhlanga, scheduled to open on 1 December 2026. The development extends the Johannesburg-founded group's footprint to Durban, adding to its existing properties in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
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The launch follows a strong festive season for the region, with Durban welcoming approximately 1.2 million visitors and recording 77% accommodation occupancy in late 2025.
New hotel concept for Umhlanga
BlackBrick Umhlanga will combine hotel accommodation with restaurants, wellness facilities and workspaces, entering a local market largely dominated by traditional luxury hotels, corporate brands and conventional serviced apartments.
All 81 rooms will feature sea views. On-site food, beverage and work amenities will include Doughed Pizza, Humble Coffee, a rooftop tapas bar and dedicated spaces for meetings and remote work.
Founded in Johannesburg in 2018, BlackBrick opened its first property in Sandton before expanding across Johannesburg and into Cape Town with BlackBrick Foreshore and BlackBrick Gardens.
The group structures its properties around three operational pillars—Culture, Wellness and Work—integrating art, dining, fitness facilities, flexible workspaces and community programming into its sites.
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Durban expansion
The Umhlanga development marks a return to KwaZulu-Natal for co-founders Jonathan Liebmann and Moritz Wellensiek, who were both raised in Durban.
“Umhlanga feels very personal to us,” says Liebmann. “Moritz and I grew up in Durban, so to bring BlackBrick back to the city that shaped us - after building the brand across Johannesburg and Cape Town - feels like the story coming full circle. But we’re returning with a very different idea of what a hotel can be.”
Designed by System Architecture with interiors by Hector & Bailey, the property will feature daily yoga and Pilates sessions alongside its rooftop bar and dining outlets, which will be open to both overnight guests and the public.
“People increasingly want the freedom to move between cities without having to choose between a hotel, an apartment, a workspace and a social life,” says Wellensiek. “BlackBrick brings those things together. Umhlanga gives us the opportunity to do that in a very different setting - one where the beach, climate and way of life become part of the hotel experience rather than simply its location.”
Lifestyle hotels gain market share
The opening aligns with broader international growth in the lifestyle-hotel sector. Wellensiek estimates that lifestyle hotels accounted for approximately 18% of global hotel room openings in 2025, up from 8% in 2000, driven by shifting demand toward accommodation that integrates local identity with work, wellness and social facilities.
“This reflects a deeper change in what people expect from hospitality,” says Liebmann. “Travellers want hotels that feel connected to their location, express a clear point of view and offer more than standardised rooms and services. They want places that enrich the way they spend their time.”
With the addition of Umhlanga, BlackBrick’s network now spans South Africa’s three major commercial and tourism hubs: Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
