Hotel development in the city of Cape Town is booming as at least 7 new hotels are being planned and developed for the mother city.

Cape Town already boasts a great number of exquisite four and five star hotels, as for the Mount Nelson Hotel, the Arabella Sheraton Hotel (Now know as The Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays), the Cullinan Hotel, the Metropole Hotel, and the Cape Heritage Hotel.

This number is constantly growing: over the last five years 1 100 hotel rooms have been added to the city's already impressive number of hotel rooms. And more are on the way, as at least seven new hotels are being planned and developed in The Mother City's centre at this very moment.

These include the Fountain Hotel at the bottom of St George's Mall and the North Wharf Protea Hotel near the Cape Town International Convention Centre. Furthermore, the new 3 star (Extreme) Fire & Ice Hotel is being planned next to Relish restaurant on New Church Street in Tamboerskloof.

The Cape Diamond Hotel in the East City near Parliament is currently under construction. This new-look 4 star hotel will have 60 rooms, a restaurant/bar, reception on the ground floor, and an Art Deco style theatre-café in the basement. The opening of the Cape Diamond Hotel is planned for the 1st of November 2005 and 3 finished rooms are currently available for viewing.

Andrew Boraine, Chief Executive of the Cape Town Partnership, said: "The level of hotel development and refurbishment gives a good indication of the health of the tourism industry in the Cape Town Central City. It also builds a positive foundation in terms of planning for major events such as the FIFA Soccer World Cup in 2010."

(CapeTownMagazine.com / 5 August 2005)