Southern Sun Maputo reopens after US$30 million makeover

Tsogo Sun’s Southern Sun Maputo, now the largest hotel in the Mozambican capital, has re-opened after a four-month hiatus during which the hotel went through a US$30 million expansion and makeover that has added significant appeal, interest and comfort for business and leisure guests.

This major investment by Tsogo Sun is in line with Mozambique’s robust real GDP growth of 7% in 2013, despite the floods in the country last year. The progressive increase in coal production and the implementation of large infrastructure projects, coupled with budgetary expansion, are expected to continue to drive growth in Mozambique, projected at 8.5% in 2014 and 8.2% in 2015, according to the African Economic Outlook website.

“It makes sense to embrace the opportunities and invest in Mozambique, with its growing economy and its attractiveness to South Africans as well as international travellers,” says Richard Weilers, COO of Tsogo Sun hotels. “Southern Sun Maputo has benefitted from a strong trading performance and we believe this expansion and refurbishment programme, together with its location as the only Maputo hotel on the beach, will cement it as the destination hotel of choice in the city.”

Travelling to Maputo is increasingly easy for South Africans as flights from Johannesburg and Durban are regular and take about an hour.

Southern Sun Maputo’s extensive renovations included the addition of 111 rooms and conference facilities, refurbishing of the existing 158 rooms and public areas, and expanding the restaurant, lobby, and back-of-house facilities.

In addition, the investment by Tsogo Sun included importing a special beach cleaning machine from Connecticut in America, which cleans the beach every day, ensuring that it’s pristine for the hotel guests at all times. “We’re not just taking ownership of the hotel, but of the beach as well, which we believe falls under our care,” says Weilers. “We obtained authorisation from the municipal authorities, who were very supportive of our environmentally-aware efforts.”

Weilers describes the essence of the ‘new’ Southern Sun Maputo brand as ‘surprising’, with spaces, beautiful touches and elegant décor that give a sense of intimacy to the hotel, despite its size. Mediterranean influences from Mozambique’s rich history have been incorporated into every aspect of the hotel in the new design, including carpets, fabrics and furnishing detail.

“Areas that have been expanded include the lounge and bar area which now features a wooden deck that extends to the beach, as well as the restaurant. A special residents’ lounge with key card entry has also been created overlooking a several hundred year old fig tree in the gardens that has been decorated with chandeliers to offer an inspiring ambience – as well as a special place to relax,” says Weilers.

The restaurant, aptly named Evolve, is designed to provide a completely different look and feel from daytime to night-time. Offering an outstanding view over the Bay of Maputo, clever lighting application transforms the atmosphere of the restaurant from a cool, fresh feel with a touch of blue at breakfast, to a warm, romantic and intimate venue with a touch of red, at night.

Evolve’s menu, under the able management of Executive Chef Sylvio Mindrea, features a sumptuous breakfast buffet, followed by a light snacks and lunch menu during the day, and exceptional national and international cuisine – featuring several seafood and other Mozambican specialities – in the evenings.

The hotel expansion also included the addition of a new 120-seat conference centre, two new meeting rooms and a brand new business centre, for the convenience and comfort of the hotel’s growing complement of business travellers.

Bruce Chapman, General Manager of Southern Sun Maputo, says that alongside the dramatic renovations that have transformed the hotel, special attention has also been given to staff training to ensure that service excellence is part and parcel of the new hotel offering. –“We had to ensure that our ‘new’ hotel, which promises ‘pleasant surprises’ to guests at every turn, would also give guests the perfect level of service – genuinely friendly, exceptionally helpful, and properly authentic.” Important too, to Southern Sun Maputo, is that it remains relevant to the local market, while also giving the international guest a special Mozambican experience.

“This has always been a special hotel,” says Chapman, “not least because of its idyllic location right on the beach in the Bay of Maputo, offering spectacular views of the ocean and the bay, day and night. Now the refurbishment has added a new dimension of appeal to every aspect of the hotel – and we believe our guests, business and leisure, from near and far, will be delighted by the special experience that our hotel offers.”