Protea Hotel Balalaika will not close

The elegant Protea Hotel Balalaika in the heart of Sandton has moved to quash speculation that it could be closing doors because of a possible new development in the works for the neighbouring site currently occupied by the Village Walk Shopping Centre.

“The hotel is not closing. It has been serving visitors to Johannesburg for 63 years and will continue to do so for many years to come,” said hotel director Ivan van Rensburg.

“There is the possibility that in the next few years the hotel could relocate to another building within the new development in Maude Street, which might have been misinterpreted in some quarters to mean the Protea Hotel Balalaika is shutting down.

“If we do relocate to another site in Maude Street in future, the current hotel would remain open to GUESTS until after the new premises are fully operational.

“The Protea Hotel Balalaika will therefore not be closing down – even for one day,” said Van Rensburg, who has owned the business since 1978.

The then Balalaika Hotel opened doors in 1949 when it was effectively a country hotel, and Sandton as it is known today slowly grew around the Balalaika which has operated uninterrupted for more than six decades.

The elegant hotel, with more than 300 rooms, has grown from strength to strength despite increasing competition in the area. Its long-standing reputation for excellence in conferencing and banqueting, as well as first-class accommodation, means it runs solidly  with high occupancies and a high volume of return GUESTS.

“We are not considering closing down such a successful operation that is built on a solid foundation of service excellence and return business,” van Rensburg said.

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