MOUNT GRACE COUNTRY HOUSE AND SPA JOINS AFRICAN PRIDE HOTELS

November 2013: African Pride Hotels is pleased to announce the addition of Mount Grace Country House and Spa to its portfolio of luxury properties from 1 December 2013. The luxury hotel, located near Magaliesberg in North-West Gauteng, will add 121 five-star rooms to the African Pride Hotels stable in South Africa’s most populous province. Arthur Gillis, CEO of Protea Hospitality Group said: “This hotel is an epitome of elegance in an outstanding location that offers a tranquil, natural escape within an hour’s drive of Johannesburg. It melds perfectly with the African Pride Hotels brand and we're delighted to welcome it into the family.” Mount Grace Country House and Spa is owned by Hospitality Property Fund (HPF), South Africa’s only specialised Real Estate Investment Trust that invests solely in the hospitality and leisure sectors. “In line with the trend of aligning the Global Brand Managers with the Brand Owners it made sense to engage one of Africa’s finest hotel management companies at this prestigious asset. HPF have an existing relationship with Protea Hotels who already operate another 5 hotels under their various brands and given their national footprint, it was a simple decision to engage their services. Furthermore the Resort will also be undergoing certain changes in order to accommodate the family leisure market by allowing children to make use of the Resort, previously no children under the age of 12 were allowed, which will undoubtedly attract a broader target market than before” says Andrew Rogers, CEO of HPF. The property also includes an acclaimed spa and two restaurants. By aligning with African Pride Hotels, Mount Grace Country House and Spa will have access to the enlarged marketing footprint as well as the distribution and sales channels offered by the Protea Hospitality Group as Africa's largest hospitality brand.