Protea Hotels Score in World Cup Teams Accommodation
IT was an easy decision for World Cup 2010 teams travelling around South Africa for their matches. And 27 of the 32 competing in the soccer extravaganza made it; deciding to stay at Protea Hotels a total of 49 times during the tournament.
Protea Hotels is the largest hotel group on the continent and easily has the biggest footprint in South Africa. The hospitality group has close to 80 hotels spread across all nine provinces; each one unique in design but with uniformly excellent service. The Soccer World Cup national teams will be accommodated by Protea Hotels in Johannesburg, Nelspruit, Bloemfontein, Durban, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth and Pretoria.
The Protea Hotels will welcome all nationalities through their doors and greet them with a level of service that leave the players wanting for nothing and free to concentrate on their on-field performances.
Protea Hotels Sales, Marketing and Revenue Director Danny Bryer said the hospitality group was exceptionally excited about the coming month: “It is going to be great to welcome the players and their supporters into our hotels over the World Cup period. More importantly, though, the tournament is a golden opportunity to showcase South Africa and Africa as a whole as top-class tourism destinations that rival any others across the globe. South Africa has exceptional natural beauty and wildlife as draw-cards. The cities are vibrant and cosmopolitan the tourism facilities second-to-none.
“This tournament will do much for the South African economy in the short-term, but we have to put our best foot forward now and use wisely the opportunity to advertise the country and continent. We have the ability to show that this country offers value for money and levels of safety that match its natural beauty. It is unlikely, in our lifetimes, that we will ever again see a tourism marketing opportunity this big, piggy-backing on a global sporting event. We have one chance to grab it for the good of the country and the continent.”
Bryer said the Protea Hotels hosting the national soccer squads had one single intention. That was to provide the level of care and service to the visitors that would turn each and every one of them into Protea and South African brand ambassadors when they returned to their home countries.
About Protea Hotels Protea Hotels is Africa’s largest and leading hotel group and has a footprint of over 120 properties throughout South Africa and other African countries, including Nigeria, Namibia and Kenya amongst others. Each hotel is uniquely different in character and the collection ranges from urban accommodation to country retreats, all in the 3 and 4-star markets. Protea Hotels is the winner of 2 World Travel Awards for Best Hotel Group in Africa, winner of 3 Sunday Times Markinor Top Hotel Brand Awards and the winner of the Coolest Hotel Group category in the Sunday Times Generation Next 2009 awards.
About African Pride Hotels, Lodges and Country Houses Protea Hotels’ superior luxury collection, African Pride Hotels, offers the highest international standards of service excellence, luxury accommodation and superior facilities African Pride's hotels, safari lodges and country houses have a presence in popular tourist destinations, including Cape Town, Johannesburg, Hermanus, Cape Winelands, Durban, Nairobi and Namibia. The portfolio of 16 properties extended in late 2009 with the addition of stylish and sophisticated 15 on Orange Hotel and iconic Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa, both in Cape Town.
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