Empire Executive Apartments & Hotel launches in Sandton

The 130-room Empire Executive Apartments and Hotel, located at 177 Empire Place, next to Sandton City will deliver a broad range of serviced apartments, offering flexible accommodation options with an emphasis on spacious modern amenities and personal service.

Developed, managed and owned by Executive Apartments and Hotels (EAH), regarded as one of the largest providers of fully serviced luxury apartments in the country, this new apart-hotel development ultimately delivers increased adaptability and an improved value proposition to travelers.

"Executive apartments are proving to be an affordable alternative for business travelers both locally and internationally, with companies increasingly turning to this option (often preferred for convenience, privacy and comfort) over footing pricey hotel bills," states MD of EAH, Marc Wachsberger. "The increased commercial development in the Sandton area has brought a substantial increase in business travelers to the node, thereby triggering increased demand for cost-effective accommodation that directly services this market," he says.

"This demand," Wachsberger continues, "will most likely also be further exacerbated by the increased traveling times into the node thereby propelling business travelers that would otherwise stay outside the Sandton CBD and commute into the node daily, to stay within the Sandton CBD."

Easy connectivity to the rest of the city

Enviably located for business, shopping and dining - and providing easy connectivity to the rest of Johannesburg city and beyond - Empire Executive Apartments and Hotel provides all of the ingredients for an unforgettable stay. Efficiently designed by GLH Architects, the building also portrays a modern, asymmetrical interpretation of the typical modular hotel concept.

"The careful modulation of glazing and vertical floating panels offset on every alternate level create an apparent asymmetrical configuration resulting in a striking play of rectangular forms. This typical modulation is injected with special glass corners, higher roofs and concrete vertical elements that further enhance the facades," explains Naina Jivan from GLH Architects. "Through the use of massive extents of glazing to all rooms, we've maximised natural daylight and views across Sandton."

Designed around the key concept of flexibility, a broad range of accommodation options exist across categories including Standard Rooms, Executive Rooms, One- Two- Three bedroom apartments as well as Penthouses.

"The layout of each apartment creates the opportunity for it to be rented out as a 1, 2 or 3 bedroom unit with kitchen and lounge or a single hotel room. The penthouses work on a similar principle to this and provide guests with copious space, lavish furnishings and multiple conveniences. This flexible concept is quite new and revolutionary to South Africa and lends itself to the 21st Century global traveler." comments Jivan. "All rooms also have corporate workstations with international plug points."

The apart-hotel concept, now a popular global phenomenon, combines the best of both worlds; a full hotel service with the option of self-catering apartments and a host of facilities geared towards the requirements of both business and leisure travelers. This latest EAH development ticks all the boxes; Standard Rooms and Executive Rooms consist of a single bedroom with en-suite bathroom, mini-bar and Juliet balcony. One, Two and Three-bedroom Suites comprise comfortable, well-appointed bedrooms, coupled with an en-suite bathroom with a bath and shower, a fully equipped kitchen, dining area, lounge and balcony.

Empire's full suite of amenities include 24-hour controlled security access, complimentary & secure parking, a cutting-edge onsite conference centre capable of seating 250 delegates, along with three boardrooms (all equipped with world-class technology and well-endowed with natural light), as well as a Business Centre and arrival lounge with change room facilities. The long double volume reception area is complemented with a skylight running the full length of the space, bringing in natural light which contrasts with the dark wall of the reception backdrop and increases the sense of generosity in the space. Ceiling heights playfully drop and rise in the bar, gorgeous onsite restaurant, and lounge areas, creating identifiable areas to eat, drink, and gather. A spa treatment room, outdoor, swimming pool and spacious fitness centre are also just the answer for busy professionals looking to relax and unwind after a long workday.

STR Global consistently releases statistics showing EAH hotels ranking highest in occupancy in Sandton, achieving an average occupancy rate of 83% month on month.