Cape Town Gets its First Design Hotel
Right in the heart of the Mother City, Gorgeous George is a playground for design-minded travellers and locals alike, with a plethora of South African designers and artists all putting their mark on a property unlike anything else in the city
As a Capetonian living abroad, I’m thrilled that my home city has now joined the ranks of others around the world in getting its first Design Hotel™ — and what’s more, it’s nothing short of a celebration of some of the very best design, art, fashion, food and drink South Africa has to offer.
Located in St George’s Mall, the historic pedestrian square that neighbours The Company’s Garden and the lively Green Market Square, only a short walk from some of Cape Town’s best galleries, cafes, bars and boutiques, Gorgeous George is a perfectly positioned base from which to explore all that the city has to offer, and its central location means that locals flock to the rooftop hotspot Gigi (complete with terrace pool and stunning city and mountain views) for everything from brunch to after-work drinks, dinner and late-night vinyl parties.
Created by Urbane Citizen Architecture from two conjoined heritage buildings — one Art Deco and the other New Edwardian — the overarching theme is industrial-luxe, with raw and exposed concrete and steelwork combining with modern Victorian elements, contemporary design and art, rich materials and bold colours.
Fittingly for the city’s first addition to the Design Hotels’ portfolio, Gorgeous George is also one of the biggest collaborations between some of the country’s brightest design stars. Award-winning interior designer Tristan du Plessis brings together the likes of artist Porky Hefer, furniture designer Gregor Jenkin, brand design studio Jana + Koos, creative director Kara Furter, artists David Brits, Michael Chandler and Lucie de Moyencourt and, on the fashion front (never to be overlooked in Cape Town), jewellery and clothing brands Pichulik and Thalia Strates along with milliner Crystal Birch.
Commissioned artworks come in the form of de Moyencourt’s Delft Blue-style tiled mural depicting the Cape Peninsula in the lobby and on restaurant tabletops, and the murals by Brits that swathe the walls of guest rooms and public spaces. The 32 rooms and suites — with large windows double-glazed to mitigate the sounds of the buzzing mall below — are bright, beautiful and decidedly residential in feel. Here, custom furniture and pieces by local luminaries like Jenkin, David Krynauw and Dokter and Misses sit alongside (or atop) pieces from international design studios like DCW éditions and Moooi. Interiors are further peppered with pieces from German owner Tobias Alter’s personal collection.
But these days, as we all well know, a hotel should be so much more than a place to drop your bags and lay your head. They should make you want to linger longer, exploring and experiencing elements and flavours that give you a uniquely local experience, where you can people-watch and get a taste of the city before you’ve even set foot outside — and Gigi Rooftop does just that and then some. Drawing in guests and locals alike, the kitchen is helmed by top South African chef Guy Bennett (formerly of Franschhoek’s acclaimed Grande Provence), who serves up a hearty combination of national favourites like biltong, ‘sarmies’ and braai-ed meat and more classic dishes inspired by his international training. Billed as a ‘living room for the city’, Gigi’s motto is ‘Come for breakfast, stay for dinner’ — though this could probably be extended to the rest of the hotel itself. I’ll admit that even I was left wishing I could have stayed for more.
Text / Simone Schultz
Images / Tomorrows Monday
