Taj - Cape Town

This is a project that marries the architectural past, present and future in one complex but ultimately cohesive whole. A joint-venture partnership between investors Eurocape and Tata’s Indian Hotels Company, owners of Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces, the development is located in a historic city centre precinct that’s ripe for a resurgence.
Martin Kearns, CEO of Eurocape, says it was the two heritage buildings at the heart of the site that initially led him to open discussions with Taj: “It’s just the sort of hotel they’re best at and they’ve got the track record to prove it”.

Two years and over ZAR500m were spent refurbishing the original South African Reserve Bank and Temple Chambers buildings, there was then “a partial demolition... the construction of infill elements and a contemporary tower to deal with”, according to Peter Fehrsen of dhk Architects.

Marrying together the two adjacent heritage buildings and a 16-storey newbuild was the primary challenge facing dhk. Their approach was to adopt an architectural style that “echoes the delicacy, elegance and craftsmanship of the originals while being true to its new functions”, says Fehrsen.

David Edwards, Managing Director of James Park Associates’ regional office in Singapore, was in charge of the interiors; his team “have been working in India since 1999 with experience on a number of properties with excellent vernacular, and decorative references that proved useful here”.

Edwards notes that the Taj Cape Town’s main aesthetic influences were “the containing architecture, the colonial era from which the buildings date, and the urban setting in the business heart of Cape Town... clichéd animal print fabrics and rural vernacular were avoided!” His aim was to create “an interior of refinement and elegance” to fit in with the “strong masculine architecture”, while infusing “subtle references to the heritage of its Indian custodian”.

The hotel lobby and lounge area are housed in what was previously the main hall of the Reserve Bank. A barrel-vaulted skylight provides a certain wow factor upon arrival while four fluted marble columns add a note of gravitas and history that align neatly with the Taj brand values.
South Africa’s smoking ban has a few lenient loopholes, one of which allows for a designated smoking area inside a public building. dhk has cleverly leapt on the opportunity by creating a plush cigar room adjacent to the lobby complete with log fire and humidors.

If the cigar room is designed to cut its guests off from the outside world while they indulge in cognacs and Cubans, the main hotel restaurant Mint does precisely the opposite. Bravely spilling out into the pedestrianised walkway of St. George’s Mall via full-length sliding glass doors, the informal café-style eatery is a sure sign of the times; ten years ago this part of the Central Business District was a no-go area at night. Nowadays tourists happily sit outside sipping Chardonnay until late in the evening, seemingly oblivious to the area’s gritty past.

 The fine dining option Bombay Brasserie goes even further with its sophisticated ambiance, high ceilings and a show kitchen from which Executive Sous Chef Harpreet Kaur sends forth her carefully constructed contemporary Indian dishes. The space is unashamedly over-the-top with its intricately embroidered chairs, lavish chandeliers and deep purple hues. Kaur’s confident yet restrained cooking style is a perfect match.

Upstairs the 176 guestroom, suite and residence interiors are deliberately less extravagant, each evoking the colonial heritage of the site while incorporating enough Indian flavour to ensure guests won’t forget they’ve checked-in to a Taj property.

Bespoke casegoods of macassar ebony and Indian rosewood come in ornate styles in the Heritage Rooms, and simpler, modernised versions in the newbuild Tower Rooms. Continuing this dichotomy in room types, David Edwards says the rooms’ two distinct colourways were “inspired by the oceans on one flank of the city, and the colours of the sun setting on Table Mountain on the other”. The former palette was allocated to Heritage Rooms where the careful use of  “calming shades of aquamarine and turquoise help disguise the building’s commercial provenance”. Tower Rooms are then given a warmer, orange-dominated palette as many of them have private balconies overlooking the russet-hued mountain itself.

Large marble bathrooms come as standard and beat anything else available in the city hands down. In the hierarchy of five-star touchpoints, Taj have long since worked out the importance of investing in pukka powder rooms. Elsewhere, a Taj Club floor provides a butler service and executive lounge, located on the same level as the obligatory Technogym-equipped fitness room and an unassuming indoor lap pool. The hotel’s Jiva Spa is far more enticing, not least for its policy of ensuring everything that comes into contact with a client’s body is of 100% natural origin. That means organic cottons towels, essential oils and wooden Ayurvedic treatment tables all imported directly from India. Given that the top end of the local spa market has been dominated by One&Only ever since it opened, Taj’s Jiva Spa should be looking to give Kerzner a run for his money in the wellness department.

The entire building is crowned, quite literally, by a top floor, 6,000ft2 Presidential Suite made up of a large lounge area, formal dining room, two bedrooms, exercise room and a roof terrace large enough to host an Indian wedding… or at least part of it!

Rooms    177 rooms and suites
Dining    Bombay Brasserie, Mint
Drinking    Cigar Lounge, The Twankey
Leisure    Jiva Grande Spa, Fitness Centre
Facilities    Executive Club Lounge, Event Rooms