City celebrates reopening of Hilton Hotel Durban

The eThekwini Municipality has welcomed the reopening of Hilton Hotel Durban which, they said, will benefit the city’s tourism economy.

The phased reopening of the hotel falls in Tourism Month, which is celebrated in September.

The five-star hotel was opened in 1997 by the late former president Nelson Mandela, however, it closed its doors in January 2021 during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic.

eThekwini Mayor Cyril Xaba said the phased reopening of the hotel will boost the city’s business case when bidding to host national and international conferences.

“Apart from enhancing the tourism experience for visitors in our city, the reopening of the hotel will contribute immensely to job creation. The Hilton Hotel is also a great added advantage for the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre (Durban ICC), which is situated near the hotel. When the Durban ICC conducts their product promotion, it will be characterised by the easy accessibility to prestigious accommodation which further instils business travel confidence,” said Mr Xaba.

“The convenient accessibility is also an advantage for dignitaries and high-security risk patrons. The reason for this is because there is no long-distance travel as all business travel purpose facilities are within easy reach. We are indeed excited that our drive to attract investment in the city, through our Inner-City Regeneration Programme is beginning to yield positive results.”