Ennismore has signed its first hotel in Johannesburg. The lifestyle and leisure hospitality company has joined hands with Kasada, the African independent real estate private equity platform, to sign Hyde Johannesburg.
While the hotel will mark Hyde’s first property in Africa, it will also be Kasada’s first project in Johannesburg and the fourth in South Africa.
Located in Rosebank, in the city’s northern suburbs, Hyde Johannesburg will feature 131 rooms, including 31 suites and a gym. The hotel will undergo a renovation to reposition it under the Hyde brand and add bohemian touches to the interiors to reflect Hyde’s features. This includes the addition of a new mural, spaces for art and music collaborations on the ground floor and art installations.
“Hyde Hotels have a sense of mystery and freedom, with that feeling that anything can happen, and we are incredibly excited to bring this unique lifestyle hospitality experience to Johannesburg,” said Louis Abi Abboud, chief development officer and deputy head of IMEAT at Ennismore. “We are proud to be once again partnering with Kasada to bring an Ennismore brand to Africa for the first time and to open in a new global destination, further expanding the reach of our network.”
Situated next to the Rosebank Gautrain Station, the hotel is housed in a mixed-use building, which also offers the Proud Mary restaurant, a lobby lounge, meeting rooms and 7,400 square meters of coworking space, office and commercial spaces. The building was awarded the International Property Award for Best Mixed-Use Development, which recognizes architectural design of a mixed-use commercial property (The Gauteng Institute for Architecture Award for excellence), in 2022.
With hotels in Miami, Dubai, Ibiza and Bodrum (the brand’s first adults-only all-inclusive resort), Hyde Hotels has more properties in its pipeline. Hyde London City, which marks the brand’s foray into the U.K., is slated to open doors in September. Later this year, Hyde will be venturing into Australia with the opening of Hyde Perth. The brand has another upcoming opening in Queenstown. With roots in the early 2000s club scene of Los Angeles, Hyde is known for its music and nightlife experience.
Hyde Johannesburg helps Kasada establish its position in South Africa, where it already has three investments located in Cape Town. The company acquired Cape Grace by Fairmont in 2022 and the Pullman Cape Town in the following year. Kasada is also developing a Mama Shelter with Ennismore in the city. The company’s portfolio now comprises 20 hotels in operation or under construction, totaling around 3,250 rooms, across seven countries in Africa.