Edition Hotels has opened its first African property at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, bringing 142 guestrooms and suites, five restaurants and bars, and a programme of cultural collaborations to the city’s historic working harbour.
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The Cape Town Edition is located at Quay 7, overlooking the V&A Waterfront’s new superyacht marina and facing Table Mountain. The hotel combines contemporary architecture with African art, local design and a food and beverage offering shaped by Cape producers and culinary influences.
The opening marks the brand’s entry into Africa and adds another international hospitality operator to Cape Town’s tourism offering. Edition’s global portfolio includes properties in destinations such as London, New York, Tokyo, Lake Como and Barcelona.
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“Cape Town has a distinctive energy shaped by extraordinary landscapes, diverse influences and an exceptional culinary scene,” said George Fleck, Senior Vice President and Global Brand Leader, Edition. “As one of the world’s most compelling cultural capitals, it is a natural home for Edition. This opening marks an important milestone for the brand as we continue to grow in destinations that sit at the intersection of culture, creativity and global influence.”
Design rooted in the harbour
Designed by Neri&Hu in collaboration with Cape Town-based architects and professional firms, the hotel draws on the industrial maritime character of the Quay 7 site. Its architecture references the warehouse structures that previously occupied the location, with a long, low-slung form, pitched rooflines and materials inspired by the working harbour. More than six million bricks were laid by hand in shifting patterns to create the building’s textured façade.
At the centre of the property is The Drum, a cylindrical open-air space with a spiral staircase leading to an outdoor viewing platform. The vantage point offers views across the harbour, Table Mountain, the Atlantic Ocean and the Waterfront.
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The hotel’s 142 guestrooms and suites feature bespoke furniture, natural finishes and integrated joinery inspired by 19th-century travel trunks. Local craftsmanship is incorporated through custom furnishings and rugs woven by KwaZulu-Natal-based Shuttleworth Weaving.
The 240-square-metre Penthouse and 112-square-metre Harbour Suite are the property’s largest accommodation offerings.
African art and design feature throughout the hotel. Design Network Africa sourced pieces from makers across the continent, including Zulu ukhamba vessels and mouth-blown recycled glass from Eswatini. Cape Town-based Southern Guild curated the art collection, which includes photographic portraits by Zanele Muholi, Usha Seejarim’s Fading Dish Cloth and smoke-fired ceramics by Chuma Maweni.
Five dining and bar venues
Executive chef Phil Carmichael and South African beverage partner George Hunter lead the hotel’s food and beverage programme across five restaurants and bars.
Shale, the signature restaurant, serves seasonal dishes drawing on Cape farmers, coastal fisheries, winemakers and independent producers. Its menu includes Saldanha Bay mussels with curry velouté, seaweed salad and braised black rice. The wine list focuses predominantly on South African producers.
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On the rooftop, Eave combines an indoor-outdoor restaurant and bar beside a heated pool, with views across the city. Its offering moves from daytime dining to sundowners, dinner and music programming after dark. The adjoining Pool Terrace serves breakfast, light meals and drinks throughout the day.
The ground-floor Lobby Bar is designed as a social space for hotel guests and local visitors, transitioning from morning coffee meetings to evening drinks. Punch Room, meanwhile, draws on the historic tradition of shared punch bowls, with a menu that includes Brandewijn, a blend of brandy, Pinotage, rooibos, pineapple, lemon and winter spice.
Wellness and events
The hotel’s spa is located below sea level and includes five treatment rooms, a couples’ suite, sauna and steam room. Treatments combine skincare, massage, fascia work and aromatherapy, using Omorovicza formulations. Infrared beds and Therabody recovery boots are also available.
Other facilities include a 24-hour gym and a daily programme of yoga, breathwork, sound baths and movement sessions beside the rooftop pool and sun deck.
For meetings and events, the property has a ballroom accommodating up to 200 people, a boardroom, two meeting studios and a private event terrace. Additional event options include rooftop gatherings at Eave, private events at Vantage and dining experiences at Shale.
The hotel plans to host a changing calendar of collaborations with chefs, winemakers and creative practitioners, alongside activities such as rooftop stargazing.
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Waterfront development
The opening forms part of the V&A Waterfront’s ongoing development of its Granger Bay precinct and its broader tourism and hospitality offering.
“The opening of The Cape Town Edition is an important milestone in the V&A Waterfront’s continued evolution and a strong expression of confidence in Cape Town as a globally competitive tourism and investment destination,” said Graham Wood, chief executive officer of the V&A Waterfront.
“At Quay 7, the Edition brings an exceptional international hospitality brand into a working harbour and connects it to the wider Waterfront neighbourhood through new dining, cultural and public-facing experiences. It also signals the next chapter for Granger Bay: a well-connected waterfront district that creates long-term value for Cape Town, our visitors and the communities we serve.”
Leonie Andereya, general \manager of The Cape Town Edition, said the hotel aimed to attract both international travellers and local residents.
“We want The Cape Town Edition to feel as relevant to a Capetonian as it does to someone visiting the city for the first time,” said Andereya. “Inspired by the warmth and authenticity of South African hospitality, we have created a place where locals and travellers come together through food, culture, creativity and conversation. Sophisticated but never formal, it offers a distinct lens on Cape Town and the feeling that you have discovered a side of the city, and a community within it, that you genuinely want to be part of.”
