Mercure Hotels South Africa
With more than 756 hotels in 56 countries across Central America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, Mercure Hotels was founded in 1973. The group was acquired by Accor Hotels in 1975.
The groups ambition? To be the most loved locally inspired global midscale hospitality brand.
Combining the best features of a local and personalised experience, the Mercure group of hotels in South Africa have a unique personality that is enhanced by their enthusiastic hoteliers, always offering a warm welcome and excellent knowledge of the hotel and local attractions in area, combined with a professional and efficient check-in process.
The chain has 4 locally inspired midscale hotels that provide a stimulating sense of place for local and international travellers.
Located in the exclusive suburb of Bedfordview and directly opposite Eastgate Shopping Centre, the Mercure Hotel Bedfordview invites you to enjoy an elegant and warm experience during your stay. This affordable hotel has 120 air-conditioned, comfortable rooms and apartments. Unlimited Wi-Fi is available to guests throughout and the hotel also offers 3 meeting rooms and a self-service business centre for guest’s convenience. The restaurant serves an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet with access to the terrace and outdoor swimming pool with a bar for guests to enjoy.
Adjacent to Ferndale on Republic (a new retail development opening in September 2019) and previously known as Brightwater Commons, the Mercure Hotel Randburg is ideally situated within close proximity to Sandton and Rosebank, two of South Africa's financial and commercial hubs. Whether on holiday or a business trip, guests can enjoy sundowners in the bar or on the outdoor patio, along with adjoining room that is open for breakfast, light lunches and dinner until 9:30pm. 104 stylish guest rooms are equipped with free unlimited Wi-Fi, air-conditioning as well as flat screen TVs. Two intimate conference facilities can accommodate up to 20 delegates for mini seminars and events.
Conveniently situated adjacent to Gallagher Convention Centre and close to the Mall of Africa and Midrand Gautrain Stations, the Mercure Hotel Midrand is located in the heart of the Midrand business district. This contemporary 3-star hotel offers accommodation at affordable rates and its comfortable air-conditioned rooms are perfect for short-stay travellers. An English breakfast buffet is served daily, and free Wi-Fi service is provided throughout. Small meetings can be held in the hotel's boardroom-styled meeting room. The Mercure Hotel Nelspruit is situated on the edge of the Kruger National Park with a 7-minute drive to Mbombela Stadium. The hotel offers 104 spacious and comfortable suites with modern amenities and access to Wi-Fi. The suites come with a kitchenette, living room, bathroom with shower and bathtub. Enjoy a relaxing time next to their swimming pool with a cocktail from the bar. The restaurant offers all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet and South African cuisine. For professionals, the hotel has 5 meeting rooms for professional events or conferences.
Locally inspired midscale hotels that provide a stimulating sense of place, Mercure Hotels South Africa are proud to be part of the Accor Hotel group.
SAY ‘I DO’ IN THE CITY
An inspired backdrop for your big day
Couples often agonise over choosing the perfect venue for their wedding.The location of the reception has an effect on every element of the big day, from the choice of suppliers to the number of guests who can attend – the pressure is on to choose something to suit everyone. Not only that, but the wedding venue says so much about you as a couple; you’ve got to pick a venue to reflect your styles and personalities.
Having said that, your classic wineland or beach wedding, whilst still popular, is fast being replaced with more contemporary, individual and modern takes on this age-old tradition, seeing more and more couples opting for city weddings using innovative spaces, and cool ideas for their new-age ‘I do’s.
Lucy Rangasamy, General Manager at BON Hotel Midrand, says their hotel is perfect for a big city wedding - often an issue when it comes to finding space for 300 guests, plus your mother’s friend’s cousin’s son. She adds that the hotel offering for guests extends beyond just bedrooms and amenities, with generous packages offering all sorts of add-ons like ‘the best breakfast in town’, a shuttle service, spa treatments, hair and make-up stylists, and much more.
And the photo opportunities are endless - as a start the contrast between the dress and the urban location would be delicate and authentic - imagine a downtown, grungy street, a colourful, graffiti-swamped wall, modern or crumbling architecture, or an old car posed against the sidewalk as the sun sets. Better yet, if it’s bucketing down, bring out the umbrellas and pop on some Wellingtons, and really make a splash.
Banqueting Manager at BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central, Dayana Kerber, says that they are getting more and more enquiries for rooftop weddings and events. “We recently hosted a function on the rooftop parking area, which was spectacular – a celebration beneath the stars on a perfect summer’s evening with the sounds of the city vibrating in the background.”
From stylish and urbane to electric and bustling, hosting a wedding in the city can provide an inspired backdrop with a ton of ideas on which to base your nuptials.
Wedding packages at BON Hotels start from R200 per person.
Visit www.bonhotels.com/wedding-celebrations
Valentine's Day with City Lodge Hotel Group
That special day of love is just around the corner…and that means the pressure is on, right? Don’t worry, we’ve got great ideas for you, with everything planned from accommodation to activities – all you need is a valentine now!
Port Elizabeth:
Our Special:
Stay at our Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth for only R900 a night on 13, 14 and 15 February 2015.
Your Valentine’s Date Options: Since this hotel is opposite the famed Humewood beach, we suggest you and your valentine start your day off with an early walk along the beach, muttering sweet nothings to each other while enjoying the fresh air and beautiful scenery – as well as getting some endorphin-inducing exercise to start your Valentine’s Day off just right! After your walk, it’s probably time for a delicious brunch (or lunch, depending on how early you managed to wake up), and so it’s off to P.E.’s Boardwalk Casino and Resort complex, right next to our Courtyard Hotel. While you’re there, you can also pick up any last minute Valentine’s presents…just in case you forgot about that part of Valentine’s Day. Depending on how adventurous you are feeling for the rest of the day, you could either take in the cultural experience that is Route 67, or enjoy an amazing game drive at the Shamwari Game Reserve. Valentine’s Day sorted, P.E. style – you’re welcome!
Rosebank:
Our Special:
Stay at our Courtyard Hotel Rosebank for only R900 a night on 13, 14 and 15 February 2015.
Your Valentine’s Date Options: Our Rosebank Hotel Courtyard is opposite a Gautrain station, meaning that you are free to go where your heart desires this Valentine’s Day. We recommend a stop at the Rosebank African Craft Market, to find your sweetheart a real treasure to remember this Valentine’s Day by, as well as to take in the great culture of the market. After that, you will find yourself conveniently in the Rosebank Mall, so why not have a romantic meal at one of the great restaurants and then catch a cosy movie? You have a choice of all the current favourites on the circuit, as well as the Cinema Nouveau option. And there’s your romantic Rosebank Rendezvous, all sorted – enjoy!
Waterfall City:
Our Special: Stay at our brand new City Lodge Hotel Waterfall City for only R800 a night on 13, 14, and 15 February 2015.
Your Valentine’s Date Options: We’re so proud of our newest family member, City Lodge Hotel Waterfall City, that we could leave it as the only stop on your romantic Valentine’s Day date, but we’ll step back a minute and try and be objective. So after having a delicious breakfast at this hotel, you and your valentine can venture forth to Lory Park for a great morning interacting with the wildlife. A great opportunity for some cute “usies” (selfies with more than one person) of you and your valentine with the animals around. Next, keep the adventure up and spirits high (literally) by going on a helicopter ride over the city of Johannesburg with FlyJozi! It doesn’t get much more thrilling than that – and the adrenaline rush from being up that high will definitely make this a Valentine’s Day to remember. Of course, if you’d like a relaxing end to your Valentine’s Day, why not have a romantic dinner at one of Midrand’s great restaurants? All in all, a great Valentine’s Day in the bag!
Sandton:
Our Specials: Stay at our Courtyard Hotel Sandton for only R900 a night, and only R800 a night at our City Lodge Hotel Sandton, Katherine Street on 13, 14 and 15 February 2015.
Your Valentine’s Date Options: Staying at Courtyard Hotel Sandton – Start your Valentine’s Day off with one of Macit Tours’ half day tours. Choose from any of the amazing cultural experiences on offer, from a half day Soweto tour, to one of Johannesburg that includes a drive past Nelson Mandela’s Houghton house. This is a great option for a different kind of Valentine’s Day experience, and a brilliant one for you and your valentine if you are both fans of culture and history. After taking in all that information, you will probably be looking for a little relaxation, so book yourself and your valentine into a treatment or two at Orient Spa. Then for a romantic dinner it’s off to Nelson Mandela Square – a perfect Valentine’s Day! Staying at City Lodge Hotel Sandton, Katherine Street – The above all still applies, or you could change things up a bit and organise a Khakiweed Safari Tour for you and your sweetheart.
Lynnwood:
Our Special: Stay at our City Lodge Hotel Lynnwood for only R800 a night on 13, 14 and 15 February 2015.
Your Valentine’s Date Options: When staying at our Lynnwood City Lodge Hotel, you open yourself up to an awesomely chilled and relaxing Valentine’s Day. We suggest first moseying over to the famed Hazel Food Market for a leisurely breakfast. While there, get your sweetheart some sweet delicacies – they will go down a treat! Spend the rest of the day exploring the area, just taking it easy, and then head off to Cafe Barcelona, a dynamic live music and entertainment venue for a great evening. The venue offers both restaurant and pub facilities, so whatever you feel like to end off your Valentine’s Day, you’ll find it here!
Pinelands:
Our Special: Stay at our City Lodge Hotel Pinelands for only R800 a night on 13, 14 and 15 February 2015.
Your Valentine’s Date Options: Your Valentine’s Day at Pinelands will be one of the most picturesque you and your valentine have experienced! Start off the day with a delicious breakfast at our City Lodge Hotel Pinelands, and then head off to the beautiful Table Mountain National Park. After a morning of relaxation and possibly a picnic lunch (add a rose to the mix there), we suggest switching things up by heading off to Ratanga Junction for the afternoon! Get those endorphins going with a few thrilling rides and your Valentine’s Day will be brilliant.
DELIVERING SOME SWEET CHRISTMAS CHEER, BUT ALSO THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
Staff from City Lodge Hotel Lynnwood, which is located at the Lynnwood Bridge complex on the eastern side of Pretoria, recently visited Eersterus Old Age Home in Pretoria to bring them some a “sweet” surprise ahead of Christmas.
They arrived at the home armed with loads of sweets to bring some festive cheer into the lives of the senior citizens residing there. As can be seen by these photos, their tasty treats were well received by the home’s residents. This is another demonstration of the City Lodge Hotel group’s “I’m Kind” programme in action. Opened in 2010, the 205-room City Lodge Hotel Lynnwood has become a popular accommodation destination for both business and leisure travellers in the Pretoria area. Ever since its opening, the hotel has ensured that it makes a meaningful contribution towards improving the lives of the less fortunate in nearby communities.
City Lodge Hotel Lynnwood is one of several City Lodge Hotel Group hotels in the Pretoria area – the others being City Lodge Hotel Hatfield, Courtyard Hotel Arcadia, Town Lodge Menlo and Road Lodge Centurion. Importantly, it is not just at Christmas time that hotels in the City Lodge Hotel Group benefit the needy and less fortunate in various communities around the country. It happens throughout the year on a regular basis.
The group’s “I’m Kind” programme involves various acts of kindness that benefit children, the aged and other needy people. Hotels adopt projects within their neighbouring communities and get involved in helping them with various maintenance activities – such as painting – and through the donation of linen and various other items. Through bookings on its website, the group also donates money on behalf of guests to Hospice and Food & Trees for Africa. An annual donation is also made to the Cancer Association of South Africa as a result of tea and coffee bought by guests at 21 Road Lodges around the country.
RAC CITY LODGE TOUGH ONE 32KM ROAD RACE ENTERS ITS FIFTH DECADE IN GREAT SHAPE
The RAC City Lodge Tough One enters its fifth decade today with entries opening for the 41st staging of this annual 32km road race which is the start of many runners’ Comrades Marathon training.
Sponsored by the City Lodge Hotel Group since 2007, the race started in 1975 with 280 finishers and last year saw 4,865 runners making it to the finish line, 1,291 of them in under three hours.
This year’s race takes place on Sunday, November 23, a week after the Momentum 94.7 Cycle Race. Last year saw no fewer than 414 competitors receiving a double medal for completing the cycle race and the running event on consecutive Sundays – are they very mad or just very fit, one may ask?
Online entries can be done from today, September 23 through www.ticketpro.co.za up until November 2 if you want the T-Shirt, but up until race day if you don’t want the T-Shirt. Hand delivery entries can also be processed at various running shops in Gauteng. Brochures explaining all the payment and entry details for the race are also available throughout Gauteng.
Here are some interesting facts and figures about the Tough One:
- The men’s record is held by Mabuthuli Lebopo – 1.42.53 in 2004
- The ladies’ record is held by Frith van der Merwe – 2.00.17 way back in 1988 (and no one has come close to breaking this record)
- Olympic Marathon gold medallist Josia Thugwane won the race in 1992
- Running legends Sonia Laxton, Gert Thys, Israel Morake, Juan van Deventer and Jan Tau have also won the race and Johnny Halberstadt has a fastest veteran’s win under his belt
According to Vreni Welch, who has been organising the race for the Rand Athletic Club since 1984, no winner of the race has ever entered prior to the final entry weekend – how amazing is that? City Lodge not only sponsors the race, but it also provides a couple of weekends as draw prizes at the finish which is at Old Parktonian Club in Bordeaux. Vreni takes out a R5 coin and gets the competitors to call heads or tails, whittling it down until the final competitor gets the call right.
There’s no doubt that the 2014 RAC City Lodge Tough One is going to be another great road race through the streets of northern Johannesburg.
CITY LODGE HOTEL GROUP SHARPLY REDUCES CARBON EMISSIONS AS PART OF RESOURCE EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS DRIVE
Emission reduction equivalent to offset planting of 17,737 trees in one year and 37,412 trees in four years
JOHANNESBURG September 17, 2014
The City Lodge Hotel Group cut its total greenhouse gas emissions by 16.5% in the year to end June and has slashed its emissions by 28.3% over the past four years as part of its major focus on energy efficiency, sustainability and environmental responsibility.
Significantly, the reduction to 33,044 tonnes of C02 equivalent in the 2014 financial year from 39,589 tonnes in the 2013 financial year is equal to the planting of 17,737 trees as an offset to match the 6,545 tonnes decrease in emissions.
The reduction of 13,805 tonnes of C02 equivalent over the past four years is equal to the planting of 37,412 trees to offset this level of emissions.
Apart from its 51 hotels in South Africa, the group’s two hotels in Nairobi, Kenya, and its hotel in Gaborone, Botswana, are included in the latest carbon footprint statistics listed in the group’s 2014 Integrated Annual Report.
Without doubt the biggest contributor to the decline in the past financial year was the group’s sharp drop in electricity consumption as a result of a group-wide rollout of energy efficient LED lighting and heat pumps. Electricity consumption fell to 30,387 tonnes of C02 equivalent compared to 34,908 tonnes in the previous year.
In addition to electricity, the group also measures water consumption, waste disposal and business travel in its overall carbon footprint and is taking continuous steps to reduce and manage these areas of its operations.
Earlier this year the group received Green Leaf Eco Standard certification for the sustainability measures it has implemented throughout the City Lodge Hotel brand. This certification is based on Responsible Tourism Guidelines including those developed prior to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2003.
The group also has its own “City Lodge Earth Day” initiative which focuses on every day being earth day and encouraging guests to use resources sparingly and responsibly.
“We have paid a lot of attention to reducing our carbon footprint over the past few years and our efforts are now paying off – both for the environment and through cost savings for our hotels,” said Clifford Ross, chief executive of the City Lodge Hotel Group.
“As a responsible and far-sighted group, we will continue to implement measures that reduce the impact of our operations and activities on our planet.
City Lodge Hotels AWARDED 2014 TRIPADVISOR CERTIFICATES OF EXCELLENCE
21 May 2014 – City Lodge Hotel group today announced that 3 of its Hotels have received TripAdvisor® Certificate of Excellence awards. The accolade, which honours hospitality excellence, is given only to establishments that consistently achieve outstanding traveller reviews on TripAdvisor, and is extended to qualifying businesses worldwide. Establishments awarded the Certificate of Excellence are located all over the world and represent the upper echelon of businesses listed on the website. The 3 Hotels that received the award were the City Lodge Hotel OR Tambo International Airport, the Courtyard Hotel Port Elizabeth and the Country Lodge Nairobi.
When selecting Certificate of Excellence winners, TripAdvisor uses a proprietary algorithm to determine the honorees that takes into account reviews ratings. Businesses must maintain an overall TripAdvisor bubble rating of at least four out of five, volume and recency of reviews. Additional criteria include a business’ tenure and popularity ranking on the site.
Winning the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence is a true source of pride for the entire team at City Lodge Hotels and we’d like to thank all of our past guests who took the time to complete a review on TripAdvisor. There is no greater seal of approval than being recognized by one’s customers. With the TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence based on customer reviews, the accolade is a remarkable vote of confidence to our business and our continued commitment to excellence.
“TripAdvisor is pleased to honour exceptional hospitality businesses for consistent excellence,” said Marc Charron, President of TripAdvisor for Business. “The Certificate of Excellence award gives top performing establishments around the world the recognition they deserve, based on feedback from those who matter most – their customers. From Australia to Zimbabwe, we want to applaud exceptional hospitality businesses for offering TripAdvisor travellers a great customer experience.”
