BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay undergoes a soft refurb

The reception, bar, smoking lounge, restaurant, pool deck and façade at BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay have a new look – a colourful retro-vibe muted by natural wood along with ambient lighting and a nature-inspired colour palette have made the interior and exterior look fresh and appealing.

Owner of the hotel, Freddie Schoonhoven says that it is essential to keep a hotel up to standard, fresh and technologically aligned. A renovation cycle peaks at three years and then it is time to do it again, where needed. “We decided that a minor refurb was required and the work was done pre-season so as to keep inconvenience to our guests to a minimum,” he said.

Thea van der Merwe of Divine Décor, the interior decorator commissioned to carry out the work, says that after establishing the purpose for the refurb she was able to work on a plan incorporating durability and practicality for the different areas. “Cognisant of the space we were working in we wanted to embrace the colour palette of the ocean views using shades of blue, turquoise and grey along with the essence of fiery sunsets using contrasting reds and oranges,” she explained. These colour combinations have given these areas a fresh, modern look and feel.

BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay offers 75 spacious, modern rooms with spectacular views of the ocean front and yacht harbour. Facilities include a conference centre with 3 meeting rooms, a restaurant, cocktail bar and lounge and swimming pool. Guests can explore the many nearby attractions and experiences the area has to offer.

Looking to further cement their presence in Kwazulu Natal and following their recent acquisition of Hotel 64 on Gordon in Durban, BON Hotels has announced the inclusion of two additional properties in the region, namely Protea Hotel Empangeni, to be named BON Hotel Empangeni, and Protea Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay, to be named BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay.    

Guy Stehlik, CEO of BON Hotels says, “These hotels are exceptional products – they are the best in their class in their respective locations and it’s going to be our job to make sure that we build on that good base.”   To ensure that the hotels do not miss a heart beat, the group’s objective is to ensure that the transition to BON Hotels’ systems and procedures is implemented with minimum fuss with the aim of securing new business and ultimately improving upon the performance of the hotels.  

BON Hotel Waterfront Richards Bay offers 75 spacious, modern rooms, each with spectacular views of the ocean-front and yacht harbour. Facilities include a conference centre with 3 meeting rooms, a restaurant, cocktail bar and lounge, and swimming pool. General Manager, André de Klerk says that Richards Bay is underestimated as a tourist destination but has much to offer in terms of its pristine beaches, fishing, water sports and entertainment, along with its strong corporate offering.  

BON Hotel Empangeni, located in the heart of Empangeni’s business district halfway between Durban and Swaziland, is well situated for the business and leisure traveller.  Combining simplicity with understated style, accommodation comprises of 55 tastefully decorated rooms, an in-house restaurant, bar and 3 meeting rooms seating up to 230 guests.  De Klerk says that this hotel is popular with the Government sector and for conferences, weddings and enjoys some domestic tourism too.  

Owner of both properties and prominent member of the Richards Bay community Freddy Schoonhoven says, “BON Hotels is a young, dynamic and energetic brand that endeavours to exceed guest’s expectations in the true tradition that we as a hotel group have been accustomed to for the past 18-odd years.  This new partnership will be exciting for us and our loyal guests - together we will grow with the BON brand that aims to lead us in a new direction of establishing genuine guest service excellence.” 

BON Hotels has been working hard to develop their property portfolio and sales and marketing presence in KZN and are looking to further replicate the BON experience throughout South Africa for their customers.   Stehlik says that as they are doing in Nigeria and Angola, the group’s strategy is to create inter-city tourism circuits to boost the industry and link important centres across South Africa. “And we are not far off from where we need to be,” he adds with a smile.