You may have noticed that we have officially made it to the big 3.0.

This has us feeling nostalgic, as well as rearing to go towards the next 30 years! Although most would think that being 30 years old means we should be settling down, we couldn’t disagree more. So, to be honest, we’re actually feeling a little more “29ish” than 30…with travel in our blood and a spring in our step!

To celebrate this milestone birthday, we decided to bring the past and the present together – over a delicious cake featuring the City Lodge Hotel Group colours in three different layers, because what’s a celebration without cake?  

Celebrating at the hotel that started it all

The City Lodge Hotel Group was born when our first City Lodge Hotel opened its doors in Bryanston in 1985. The General Manager at the time was Roberto Rosa, and so we invited him along with two of the first City Lodge Hotel Group employees, who still work for the group today, to the party.

Present at the festivities were, along with Roberto, two more of the hotel’s first General Managers, current CEO Clifford Ross, and Divisional Director of Operations, Tony Balabanoff. The three had a great trip down memory lane during the cake cutting ceremony with current General Manager Brenda Botha!

It all started with a Swiss and a dream to make travel affordable

City Lodge Hotel Group founder, Hans Enderle, took a trip to the USA in the 80s that sparked the idea behind City Lodge Hotels. He came across Selected Services hotels in America and a lightbulb went off for him. Previously hotels in South Africa were all about opulence and luxury – not making it easy on those who needed to travel for business, or wanted to take the family somewhere without spending an arm and a leg.

He developed his idea for a practical home away from home type accommodation into the group’s first hotel, City Lodge Hotel Bryanston. Guests instantly took to his concept of a hotel that lived by the principle of TLC first and foremost:

T – Tip Top

L – Loving

C – Clean

Guests wanted somewhere to stay that was comfortable, clean and welcoming, where they also received great service from start to finish. Hans believed that a hotel should treat its guests like people, who staff should talk and listen to – that’s how you find out what they need in a hotel.

From that very first hotel, City Lodge Hotel Group has grown from strength to strength – and did we mention that we’ve constantly kept our guests’ pockets in mind, from adding the Town Lodge chain to the group in 1990, and the even more practical and budget conscious offering of Road Lodge hotels in 1995.

We’re all about giving each guest what they want, and that’s why along with keeping the budget-conscious into account, Hans also introduced our 4 star offering, Courtyard Hotels, to the group for those looking for a luxury stay while they work or play.  

Here’s to the next 29ish years! 

With so much achieved in such a short amount of time, we can’t wait to see how the next 30 years pan out…

Website: http://blog.clhg.com/2015/08/celebrating-30-years-affordable-travel/