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.

Gauteng, South Africa – On Thursday, 15 November Forever Resorts South Africa hosted their annual Charity Golf Day, this year in aid of the Foundation for Children with Hearing Loss in SA at Blue Valley Golf and Country Estate.   

The Foundation aims to improve the quality of life for people with hearing loss, creating a sustainable future for people with hearing loss, inspire, educate, develop and empower an entire community, create fresh perspectives and innovative solutions, promote social welfare, encourage poverty alleviation and generate a lasting change.  

The Forever Golf Day raised a total of R189 093.01 and the funds were paid over directly to the foundation to help three children (Haley Smit (4 years), Ronisha Malander (4 years) and Mulweli Makhuva (9 years)) with funds to pay for their cochlear implants. Mulweli underwent his operation on Monday, 19 November 2018 and will now be going through the process of slowly training his brain to hear again as he lost his hearing due to illness some years ago.  

“On behalf of Forever Resorts we would like to thank our wonderful sponsors who participated in our annual Golf Day, without you, your passion and your selfless generosity this would not have been possible. Oranje Drukkers, Bravo Group Sealy, Backgat Braai,  Adams&Adams, Pam Golding Nelspruit, Beeld, Birchwood Hotel, Unlimited Events Group, Forever Warmbaths, Forever Badplaas, Forever Gariep, Forever Centurion, Forever Loskopdam, Forever White River, BDT Accountants, AirlinkVictoria Falls Rainbow Hotel, Wild Horizons Tours, The Good Oaks, Pentagon Security Consultants, FNB, Valorem, Agri SA, Rockwood Theatre, Delheim Wines, Levati Water, Rhino Clothing, Work Front, Dairymaid, Pretoria FM, Decimal Agency and Zebula Golf Estate and Spa”, said Heidi Halgryn, Marketing Executive at Forever Resorts South Africa.

The world over, hotels, guesthouses and B&Bs are struggling to grow in the face of exploding competition from Airbnb. They are finding marketing more expensive, and more technical, and commissions to Online Travel Agencies more prohibitive. Now two seasoned experts have come to the rescue, with a downloadable e-book packed with insider hints and hacks. In workbook form, “How to Digitally Grow Your Hotel Occupancy” takes you step-by-step through the fastest, most powerful ways to use digital platforms for business growth.

The workbook was developed by Karen Parkin, who led the globalization of the Marriott International hotel site, and has taken independent guesthouses to 90%+ occupancy. She says “We want to share the secrets of success with hospitality business owners who normally can’t afford the time or fees to attend one of our corporate workshops. In just a hundred pages of explanation, examples and exercises, they will save time, save money, and grow their business, without having to be a geek.”

There’s a lot of surprisingly powerful stuff in this book. For example, it shows you how to dominate the screen space of a search engine results page. And it explains how to automatically turn anyone’s link to your website in social media into a powerful free advertisement, complete with a photo and action button.

Her co-author is Godfrey Parkin, author of “Doing Business Digitally” and “Digital Marketing” and leader of Britefire’s Startup Workshop.  He says that most hospitality businesses are appallingly badly marketed, so it is not hard to beat them if you simply do the right things and do them well. “We wanted to focus on only those things which most hotels get wrong, but which give you a huge sales boost if you do them right. We explain these concepts simply and provide step-by-step instructions which even a newcomer to digital can follow. The book is available on Amazon. But for the next couple of weeks you can download it from Britefire.com for the price of a couple of cappuccinos!” he said.

At last, there is a streamlined guide which explains the concepts in language a hotelier can get excited about. It lays out the route to rapid business success in a series of simple exercises. This book was designed to become fundamental to your marketing thinking. It could forever change the way you do business. Download it at www.bit.ly/HotelOccupancy

Contact details: Godfrey Parkin, co-author: +27 21 794 7838   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On November 16th, digital strategy firm Britefire will be helping hotel, guesthouse and B&B owners get better results from their marketing efforts. At an afternoon seminar called “Packed” they will take participants step-by-step through the fastest, most powerful ways to get the best out of social media and search marketing.

Godfrey Parkin, Britefire’s CEO, said “We want to make our expertise available to business owners who normally can’t afford the time or fees to attend one of our corporate-level workshops. In just a few hours, they will learn how to save time, save money, and grow their business, without having to be a geek. We will focus on powerful insider hints, tips and tools that are instantly actionable – things which give a significant competitive edge, but which are free or really inexpensive to implement.”

Packed was developed by Karen Parkin (who architected the vast Marriott International hotel booking site, and has taken independent guesthouses to 90%+ occupancy). It is led by Godfrey Parkin (author of Digital Marketing – 8 Steps to Online Success, who always gets rave reviews from participants in his social media boot camps).

The seminar will begin at 14:00 and will end at 17:00 on November 16th and the attendance fee is R450 per person. The Cape Town venue will be selected once the organisers have a better idea of attendance numbers.

“We will cover a lot during the afternoon. But we are really good at explaining these concepts, and everyone will get a digital workbook so they have the notes and links they need when they get back to work,” said Karen. “If our other participants are anything to go by, they’ll go away inspired, excited, and confident!”

Some of the topics to be covered are: the 10 rules for powerful social posting; the best tools and sources for free images, free video, and free social platform management; how to run your own YouTube channel effectively; how to easily automate much of your social media; how to guarantee great clickable listings in Google search; how best to use social advertising; and how to integrate all your activity for major savings in time.

Britefire is in the business of helping companies to thrive in a world of digital disruption.

More information on Packed, and to book, the website page is at http://www.britefire.com/seminars-workshops/packed-social-media-hotels-guesthouses-bnb/ or phone 021 794 7838.

Contact details: Godfrey Parkin, CEO, and seminar facilitator: 021 794 7838   This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Britefire (Pty) Ltd
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: 021 794 7838
www.britefire.com