Staff Reporter.
The Saint George Hotel and Conference Centre in Irene, south of Pretoria, which has hosted a majority of the ANC’s national executive committee (NEC) meetings has terminated its hotel and conference center operations.
In a statement, the Saint George Hotel announced that it would be terminating its hotel and conference centre operations from 7 February.
“We have been trading for over 30 years and during this time we have built incredible relationships with customers and service providers. Recent challenges including the Covid-19 pandemic, load shedding and general service delivery failures have put our business under severe pressure, so much so that we have had to consider all alternatives to remain viable.”
Through its communique, the hotel also revealed that it had been recently approached to consider entering into an agreement to allow for a significant change of the Hotel and Conference Centre.
We have taken the difficult decision that it is time for us to step back and allow the property to be properly utilised to its full potential,” reads the statement.
The hotel’s management said the hotel will now be used for different operations.
The hotel also said it will be assisting its clients with current bookings so that functions can move to other suitable venues.
The Saint George Hotel has been a favourite for politicians, with a number of key meetings having been held in the premises.
In 2018, the hotel was also the venue where the ANC held marathon closed-door talks, which led to the recalling of former president Jacob Zuma.