Southern Sun hotel reservations

Southern Sun website

www.southernsun.com

Phone Southern Sun from within South Africa

0861-447744

Fax number from within South Africa

011-461-9741

Phone Southern Sun from outside South Africa

+27 (0)11 461-9744

Fax number from outside South Africa

+27 (0)11 461-9742

Email

contactus@southernsun.com

Physical address of head office

Palazzo Towers East
Montecasino Boulevard
Fourways
2055
South Africa

Postal address

Private Bag X200
Bryanston
Johannesburg
2021
South Africa

Top of the range

Beverly Hills Hotel in Umhlanga (next to Durban)
Maia Luxury Resort and Spa in the Seychelles
Sandton Sun
The Palazzo Montecasino

International brands

Holiday Inn
Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts

Premier hotels

Southern Sun Hotels and Resorts

Economy hotels

Garden Court
SunSquare

Bottom of the Range

Formula 1
StayEasy

Aug 2008

Southern Sun wins the 2008 Markinor Top Brands Survey for best hotel brand in South Africa.

Sep 2008

The Holiday Inn Lusaka changes its name to the Southern Sun Lusaka.

1 Jun 2008

The Holiday Inn in Dar es Salaam and Maputo change their names to Southern Sun Dar es Salaam (registered as Southern Sun Tanzania) and Southern Sun Maputo.

20 May 2008

Helder Pereira resigns as managing director of Southern Sun and executive director of Tsogo Sun.

5 May 2008

Southern Sun announces that it is to build a 132-roomed three storey 4 star hotel at Hyde Park Shopping Centre in Johannesburg, to be called the Hyde Park Southern Sun. This will be the first hotel in some time which Southern Sun has built which does not have gambling facilities. The hotel will be built together with Hyprop Investments, at an anticipated cost of R180m. It is to be built above Hyde Park's 7 storey parking garage, and will have views of the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.

Apr 2008

Southern Sun decides to use Delphi to automate the catering and sales process for its Southern Sun Al Manzil and Southern Sun Qamardeen in Dubai.

Apr 2008

Southern Sun teams up with United Group Holdings to build the Eva Hotel in Mina Street, Abu Dhabi. The four star hotel is planned for completion in Sep 2010, with 30 stories, 417 rooms, 63 apartments, conference rooms, business centre and a swimming pool.

May 2005

Southern Sun purchases the Garden Court brand from Intercontinental Hotels Group and relaunches it as "Garden Court Southern Sun".

Apr 2003

Tsogo Sun Holdings is born out of an empowerment deal between Tsogo Investments and SABMiller, the result of which is that Tsogo Investments has control of the Southern Sun Hotel group. Following the deal, Southern Sun Gaming Investments (Pty) Ltd is liquidated.

Mar 2002

The Ridge Hotel is opened in Witbank (Mpumalanga), the Emnotweni Sun is opened in Nelspruit (Mpumalanga) and Hemingways Hotel is opened in East London (Eastern Cape).

Nov 2001

A Holiday Inn is opened in Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania).

2001

The Intercontinental Airport Sun is opened at O.R. Tambo International Airport (then Johannesburg International Airport) - owned by ACSA.

Dec 2000

A Express by Holiday Inn is opened in Cape Town's Century City, and a Holiday Inn is opened in Maputo (Mozambique).

Nov 2000

Montecasino is opened in Fourways, including the Intercontinental Palazzo Hotel.

Sep 2000

Sandton Convention Center is opened.

May 2000

Kersaf purchases Southern Sun's 20% stake in Sun International South Africa.

1997

Aiming to enter the gambling industry, Southern Sun is split into Southern Sun Gaming and Southen Sun Hotels.

1996

"Holiday Inn Express" is relaunched as "Express by Holiday Inn".

1995

In another JV, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts enters the South African market.

1994

A joint venture company Tsogo Sun Holdings (Pty) Ltd is set up by Tsogo Investment Holding Company (49%) and SABMiller (51%).

1992

In a JV with Accor, the "Formula 1" bottom of the range brand is launched. The "Holiday Inn Garden Court" brand is launched.

1990

Ron Stringfellow is appointed as Managing Director of Southern Sun.

1990

Southern Sun delists from the JSE.

1985

Southern Sun purchases the Holiday Inn from Rennies.

1983

Sun International is split from Southern Sun, with Southern Sun holding the hotels based in South Africa (Beverly Hills, Cape Sun, Elangeni, the Elizabeth, Maharani and the Sandton Sun) and Sun International holding the casino-hotels situated in apartheid South Africa's homelands. Southern Sun owns 20% of Sun International.

1983

Southern Sun disinvests from Botswana, selling the Chobe Game Lodge to a group of private investors.

Mar 1983

Southern Sun concludes an agreement with the American Leisure Corporation to set up a casino/hotel complex in Atlantic City in the USA (costing $250m). However, the project attracts
heavy opposition from anti-apartheid groups in the USA (and even from the UN General Assembly), and Atlantic City's councillors introduce a law prohibiting the city government from investing in companies with South African connections. In June 1983 Southern Sun aborts its Atlantic City project.

Feb 1983

Southern Sun takes over an additional tourist hotel and a second existing casino resort
on the island of Mauritius.

1983

A casino is added to the hotel in Bisho, Ciskei.

Jun 1982

A hotel is opened in Bisho, Ciskei.

Dec 1979

The Sun City casino resort is opened in the Pilanesburg.

Dec 1977

Bophuthatswana's first casino is officially opened in Mmabatho on the occasion of their 'independence'.

Nov 1977

An agreement is concluded with Bophuthatswana to develop their tourist industry in return for ten year exclusive casino licences with five year options.

1977

The Chobe Game Lodge in Botswana (located on the border with Zimbabwe and Zambia) is closed as a result of the overspill of the independence war in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe.

1976

Southern Sun withdraws its hotel operations from the newly independent Mozambique (whose Frelimo government is hostile towards South Africa).

1975

A casino resort is initiated on the island of Mauritius.

1973

South African Breweries decides to merge its Transito chain (consisting of nine "commercial hotels") into the Southern Sun Hotel Corporation. As a result of the merger of the Transito chain and the Southern Sun Hotel Corporation's other expansions since its establishment in 1969, in 1973 the Southern Sun Hotel Corporation consisted of 24 hotel operations across South Africa.

1971

The Southern Sun Hotel corporation enters into a partnership with Companhia Uniao Fabril (a Portuguese company) to develop a series of hotels along the coast of Mozambique (which in 1971 was still a colony of Portugal)...however as a result of Mozambique decolonising and the introduction of a Frelimo government (in 1975) hostile to South Africa, the plans do not actualise.

1970

To facilitate international expansion, the Southern Sun Hotel Corporation constitutes an overseas subsidiary incorporated in Bermuda, to house investments outside of South Africa (as per the Southern Sun Hotel Corporation's Annual Report in 1971).

1969

South African Breweries (now called SABMiller) restructures its hotel interests into two subsidiaries:

1. The "Transito" subsidiary takes over the bulk of South African Breweries' hotel operations catering for the commercial traveller, consisting of hotels in SA's major business centres

2. The Southern Sun Hotel Corporation is formed jointly between South African Breweries, Safmarine and the hotel interests of the Sol Kerzner family. Sol Kerzner, a flamboyant Durban businessman, becomes the first Managing Director of Southern Sun. The Southern Sun Hotel Corporation starts with 6 hotels (1 in Johannesburg, 2 next to the Kruger National Park, and 3 in Natal coastal areas).