F ortis Hotels recently
launched six hotels
under its own brand.
The properties were
previously branded Protea.
Fortis Hotels will now
operate the properties
independently of the Protea
Hotel and Marriott Group,
after signing a management
contract with the Boulevard
Hotels Group on March 1.
Boulevard Hotels Group
leases the properties from
private owners.
Brothers Archie and Jimmy
McLachlan opened the
Boulevard Hotel in Pretoria in
1954, and a few years later
built the Boulevard Witbank,
and the Boulevard Impala
in Phalaborwa. The hotels
converted to the Protea brand
in 1993. Effective March 1,
the hotels began trading
under the new brand.
The six properties are:
Fortis Hotel Capital in the
Pretoria CBD; Fortis Hotel
Manor in Hatfield, Pretoria;
Fortis Hotel Witbank and
Fortis Hotel Highveld in
Emalahleni; Fortis Hotel
Malaga in Waterval Boven;
and Fortis Hotel Evander in
Secunda.
“Our ambition is to be
a sought-after African
hospitality company known
for a portfolio of individually
managed hotels that create
warm, welcoming, and happy
guest experiences at the
same time as developing,
and sustaining our people,
our communities, and
our environment,” said
Fortis Hotels ceo, Grant
McLachlan, at the launch.
“We are now going to come
up against Marriott Protea,
the difference being we have
seven hotels, and they’ve
got 6 500. The goal of Fortis
is to acquire more hotels to
own, franchise, and manage.”
Staff of both the Boulevard
Group and Fortis Hotels own
40% of the equity of their
respective companies, with
Grant McLachlan, remaining
the major shareholder after
buying the trading companies
from his family in 1998 .
Fortis Hotels leaves Protea, rebrands six hotels
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