AHA signs Bongani Mountain Lodge
African Hotels and Adventures adds Bongani Mountain Lodge to its growing portfolio of properties
Johannesburg, 1 November 2011 – African Hotels and Adventures (AHA), the tourism property management business of Tourvest’s Accommodation and Activities division (TAA), has acquired the sales, marketing and management contract for the Bongani Mountain Lodge in Mpumalanga.
The lodge is situated close to Mpumalanga’s Malelane Mountains in the Mthethomusha Game Reserve, which covers an area of 8 000 hectares and is bordered by the Kruger National Park’s south west area. The game reserve is characterised by prominent granite outcrops and crags and is renowned for housing three distinct varieties of woodland flora, which are home to a variety of wildlife species. The area is also known for having one of the world’s richest sources of San rock art.
The contract was awarded to AHA on the basis of the company’s proven track record in tourism property management as well as its sophisticated e-Res reservation system which plugs into 18 online channels, including Galileo, Amadeus, Expedia.com and Booking.com. AHA also has its own online web booking engine and can offer Bongani Lodge access to the large number of tourists and business travellers sourced by the Tourvest group’s tour operator and travel agent businesses.
AHA has agreed to help refurbish the lodge including upgrades to the roads and the rooms. In addition, new game drive vehicles are in the process of being sourced, a new boma is being built, while the Mandela suite has been converted into a recreational area.
“Bongani Mountain Lodge is a welcome addition to our growing portfolio of properties and its scenic beauty, wide range of activities and exquisite foods is a perfect fit with the rest of the properties we either market or own. We have spent the last 4 months working closely with the owners of Bongani in order to refurbish the rooms and improve the overall experience at Bongani to a level we believe is relevant to the market today,” says Gary Elmes, divisional CEO.
AHA represents and operates a collection of boutique city hotels, lifestyle retreats and game lodges throughout Southern Africa. For a full list of properties currently under AHA management, please visit http://www.tourvest.co.za/operations.asp?subID=15. It is also the operator of Lemala Luxury Camps in Tanzania.
