With the doors to a R270m investment in Nelson Mandela Bay’s tourism and hospitality industry now open, 250 permanent jobs have also been created.
The Capital Boardwalk was unveiled to the public during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, with The Capital Hotels, Apartments & Resorts chief executive Marc Wachsberger doing the honours.
The Capital Boardwalk is the city’s first aparthotel, conferencing venue and all-round entertainment complex.
It brings with it a world-class in-house restaurant and 145 hotel rooms and apartments.
Its location provides effortless access to the Boardwalk Casino, Boardwalk Mall and the beachfront.
Among the invited guests were Nelson Mandela Bay council speaker Eugene Johnson, Discover Mandela Bay project manager Shaun van Eck, Port Elizabeth Metro Bed & Breakfast Association chair Shena Wilmot, members of the Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber, and many others.
Business Chamber chief executive Denise van Huyssteen described the project as “a clear vote of confidence in Nelson Mandela Bay’s potential as a premier investment and leisure destination”.
She further noted that the project not only enhanced the city’s accommodation offering, but strengthened its ability to attract both business and leisure travellers.
“The creation of 200 permanent jobs is a significant boost for the local employment,” Van Huyssteen said, adding that it would also increase visitor spend across the hospitality, retail and services sectors.
She said the investment aligned with broader efforts to revitalise key precincts within the metro.
“It signals growing confidence in the Bay’s urban renewal and beachfront development initiatives, which are critical to unlocking further opportunities for infrastructure development, small business participation and precinct revitalisation.”
Van Eck said the new development added to the accommodation range in the Bay.
“It adds a new perspective from the point of view that you can choose the self-catering option if you wish,” he said.
Wilmot, meanwhile, complimented the forward-thinking approach that was taken to ensure there was a solid backup plan in place for water and electricity outages.
Wachsberger, who has been in the hotel industry for 17 years, said this was the group’s sixth hotel to open in SA.
“I founded the business on the back of the global financial crisis, so we had to do things differently.
“We started with apartments, which is what we did differently to the hotel sector.
“With us you can stay in apartments for one week, one day, or one year.”
He said from there they grew into conferencing, hotel rooms, and the food and beverage industry.
“Our apartments have always been our differentiator —and when we came to Gqeberha, we saw there were many hotels, but no ‘apartment hotels’.
“We saw the volume of people in the manufacturing industry and the number of consultants coming into the city daily.
“We found there was nowhere really for them to stay in terms of a medium-term stay,” Wachsberger said.
The Capital Boardwalk took 14 months to build.
They also offer a 240-seater conference venue.
Wachsberger said they chose Boardwalk as the venue because the location was perfect.
“This is the best mall in Gqeberha. Now people who stay with us can be entertained.
“Malls have become a main source of entertainment.
“Obviously we are right next to the beach as well.
“If you are a consultant staying here for two weeks, you don’t want to eat at a hotel or get room service every night. Now you can also self-cater.
“You can pop to Woolies, Checkers or Pick ‘n Pay, grab a meal and cook it yourself. Or, you can go to a restaurant at the mall.
“The mall also has entertainment for the children, and the casino for the adults,” Wachsberger said.
In addition to the 250 permanent jobs created, 500 temporary jobs were created during the construction phase, in addition to third party service providers.
Wachsberger said one of the many reasons they loved the hospitality business was because of the power it had for job creation.
He said they were excited to open their doors just in time for the Ironman event at the weekend.
He said they were only meant to take bookings from May 1, but when they arrived to check on the progress, they realised they were ready to open ahead of schedule.
“So we are officially open to the public from Friday.”
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