ANEW Hotels & Resorts will add The Wilderness Hotel – a historic Garden Route property – to its portfolio from October 1 under the name ANEW Resort Wilderness Garden Route.
Situated just east of George, with easy access to Knysna, Mossel Bay and Oudtshoorn, the 150-room hotel is one of the region’s oldest hospitality establishments.
ANEW will operate the property under a lease agreement. Refurbishments are planned ahead of October to upgrade all public areas and facilities in line with the group’s standards.
The property began as a boarding house in the early 1900s and was upgraded to The Wilderness Hotel in 1924. In the 1930s, it was a key site for meetings that resulted in the formation of SA Tourism and it hosted Princess Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth II) during the British royal family’s 1947 visit to South Africa.
“We’re proud to welcome this renowned property to the ANEW Hotels & Resorts group. Long-standing guests can now enjoy this quality resort along with our famed ANEW hospitality. The Wilderness Hotel holds a special place in the history of South African tourism and we’re excited to play a role in its next chapter,” said Clinton Armour, CEO of ANEW Hotels & Resorts.
Amenities at the property include a wellness spa, gym, two swimming pools, a bowling green, putt-putt course, tennis, squash and padel courts, and conference facilities for up to 500 delegates.
This marks ANEW’s second property in the Western Cape and the 19th in the group’s portfolio.
