A vision which the group is working towards through its selection of hotel brands and quality products, in line with international standards, put in place to meet the requirements, in every market segment, of its customers.

The Southern Sun brand:

• Is synonymous with quality and style.
• Is an established and recognised brand with over 40 years experience in servicing the international and local business and leisure travellers.
• Is owned by Tsogo Sun Holdings, the country's largest black empowerment hotel and gaming company, whose shareholding is split between Tsogo Investment Holding Company 51% and SABMiller 49%.
• Services the total market from deluxe to budget under own brands, segmented according to guest needs.
• Holds the exclusive rights in certain parts of sub-Saharan Africa to operate hotels under the leading InterContinental and Holiday Inn brands.

In 2005 Southern Sun embarked on an exciting re-branding process, realigning its portfolio of brands from managing the brands to owning them, thereby strengthening the individual brand offerings and increasing the focussed selection of hotel brands.  This process is bringing Southern Sun ever closer to achieving the status of being "Africa's best hotel group".

For more information please contact: billg@southernsun.com and willem@bairds.co.za

History of the Southern Sun Hotel Group

2006

A new hotel brand aimed at the upper tier of economy traveller, SunSquare, will be launched in early 2007 with the opening of the SunSquare Montecasino.
Budget Plus hotels - In early 2006 Express by Holiday Inn was replaced with a new brand:  StayEasy by Southern Sun

2005

May saw the group implement one of the most momentous steps in its history by moving from managing to owning its own brands.
The Garden Court brand was purchased from InterContinental Hotels Group and relaunched as Garden Court Southern Sun.
Most of the Holiday Inn hotels in South Africa have been upgraded to the Southern Sun Hotels and Resorts brand.

2002

March - The opening of Hemingways Hotel in East London, Emnotweni Sun in Nelspruit and the Ridge Hotel in Witbank.

2001

The luxury InterContinental Airport Sun opens at Johannesburg International Airport.  Owned by the Airports Company South Africa, it is South Africa's first luxury airport hotel.
November - The group makes its first appearance in Tanzania, with the opening of the Holiday Inn Dar-es-Salaam.

2000

May - As a result of increasing competition with Sun International in the Gaming industry, Southern Sun sells its 20% stake in Sun International South Africa to Kersaf.
September - Tsogo Sun's R375-million Sandton Convention Centre opens under the management of Southern Sun.
November - The opening of the R1.4-billion Montecasino leisure, entertainment, retail and gaming development at Fourways in Gauteng.  The complex incorporates the luxury InterContinental Palazzo hotel.
December - The opening of the Holiday Inn Maputo and Express By Holiday Inn Century City in Cape Town. 

1997

Formation of two business units - Southern Sun Hotels and Southern Sun Gaming in order to penetrate the gaming industry.

1996

10.6% stake acquired in Conservation Corporation Africa, the continent's biggest private game reserve and lodge operator.
Expansion to Zimbabwe when agreements were finalised to operate the Elephant Hills and Victoria Falls hotels.
Launch of Express by Holiday Inn (formerly known as Holiday Inn Express) as a value-for-money select service brand.

1995

InterContinental Hotels & Resorts joint venture with Southern Sun to gain representation in South Africa.

1992

Launch of the Holiday Inn Garden Court select service brand.  Formula 1 and Formula Inn budget brands introduced through a joint venture with French group, Accor.

1990

The Group delists from the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and Ron Stringfellow is brought on board from Zimbabwe Sun to head the Group, Stringfellow introduces the famous "jumbo jet" strategy aimed at developing separate brands to cater for different market segments.

1985

The Holiday Inn chain is added to the Group portfolio with its purchase from the Rennies Group.

1983

South African Breweries splits its hotel interests to form Southern Sun and Sun International.  Sun International, headed by Sol Kerzner, retains all the casino hotels in the 'independent homelands' with Southern Sun as a 20% stakeholder.  Southern Sun retains the hotels in South Africa, including the Elangeni, Maharani and Beverly Hills in Durban, the Johannesburg Sun and Sandton Sun in Johannesburg, the Cape Sun in Cape Town and the Elizabeth in Port Elizabeth.

1969

The Southern Sun Hotel Corporation (Pty) Ltd is founded when South African Breweries and Sol Kerzner joined forces to create the southern hemisphere's largest hotel group - the Southern Sun hotel group.