Another iconic Cape Town hotel is closing its doors this month.
The Townhouse Hotel in Cape Town City Centre announced that it “made the difficult decision to close the Townhouse hotel” on Wednesday.
Travellers can still travel to The Vineyard in Newlands and Oude Werf in Stellenbosch, the hotels that belong to the Petousis Hotel Group.
In a statement on its website, the hotel said the closure "signifies the end of a Townhouse era in our family history."
The Townhouse hotel was launched in 1971 by Francois and Kitty Petousis, followed by The Vineyard Hotel in Newlands in 1981. Oude Werf in Stellenbosch opened its doors in 2007.
“We thank our wonderful and committed Townhouse team who have played such an integral part in the Petousis family story, many of whom have been with us for decades and have invested years of service to delivering our vision and creating memorable experiences for our guests.
“We are handing over the property on March 31 and our April Townhouse bookings will be transferred and hosted at our luxury Vineyard Hotel in Newlands,” the statement read.
Chief executive of the Cape Town Central City Improvement District (CCID) Tasso Evangelinos said it was sad to lose a gem in the city’s hospitality industry.
“The Townhouse Hotel has been a stalwart family-owned establishment for five decades, building a fine reputation for unique service and accommodation to the thousands of guests who have crossed its threshold.
“It is a hotel that loyal guests have returned to, time and again, over the years. The fact that it will close its doors at the end of the month is a hard blow for Central City. At the CCID, we are very sad to see it go.
“We have always had an excellent working relationship with the hotel’s management team and owners, who have been keen to work with us to keep the East City, where it is situated, safe and clean,” said Evangelinos.
The organisation said it was "devastating that the hotel has not been able to weather the Covid-19 storm that has wreaked havoc in this sector."
He said there are plans to resurrect the hotel in a different form.
"We look forward to working with the new owner and are heartened to note that there are plans to resurrect the hotel in a different form, adding to the investment value of the East City and the Cape Town CBD," Evangelinos said.