�Y
G�O�G�!
A stylish independent
Design Hotel has
opened in the historical
heart of Cape Town,
and it is truly gorgeous.
PHOTOS
MICKY HOYLE
PRODUCTION
ANNEMARIE MEINTJES
WORDS
AMELIA BROWN
he story of Gorgeous George is
one of connection. There’s the lit-
eral connection of architecture
and eras: two historical build-
ings, one Art Deco, the other New
Edwardian, on one of Cape Town’s
oldest streets, St George’s Mall, rather haphazardly
connected to each other some time in the ’50s or ’60s.
There is its recent renovation, which, while preserving
the building’s character, has also integrated its two
parts and connected them to the present with steel
and concrete and contemporary design. And there’s
the hotel itself, a place that invites connection with the
city centre and with one another.
“Hotels for me have always been magical places,”
says owner Tobias Alter. “Restaurants in hotels are
different from freestanding ones. There’s constant life
going on in those rooms; there are stories happen-
ing – tragedies, great moments – so I think there’s just
greater soul.” At Gorgeous George this space takes the
form of Gigi Rooftop – the restaurant, bar and terrace
with a pool where guests and visitors can mingle.
To say this is a passion project for Tobias would be
underplaying it. From the perspective of a property
developer from Munich, he saw an inner-city address
and beautiful heritage facade as assets. Over the past
three-and-a-half years, these are the very elements
that have proved to be the most challenging, especially
for a first-time hotelier. And they are also the traits that
make Gorgeous George so distinct.
As the renovation revealed structural issues, the
team had to adapt. “When we started on the project,
we wanted to look for traces or moods left from the
original buildings,” says architect Klaus Neumann of
Urbane Citizen Architecture. “What we found was
a mood of abandonment, a butchering of the old
buildings. We revealed the concrete superstructureT
visi.co.za JUNE/JULY 2019 46�ISI CAPE TOWN HOTEL