Blog | Hotel News | Media

Keeping you informed on all our GOOD news.

Stay up to date with all our GOOD news and what Guy Stehlik says in his blog. You’ll find all our press releases, articles and blog posts below.

View Our Newsletter

Plan a Year-End Celebration Your Team Actually Wants: 4 Effortless Event Ideas for Every Culture, Calendar & Company Style

As the end of the year rolls in, so does the pressure to plan your company’s year-end function. But with busy schedules, varying budgets and team members craving something beyond the norm, the traditional stuffy lunch just doesn’t cut it anymore.

October 17, 2025

Homegrown Adventures: The Joy of Being a Tourist in Your Own Country

Slow travel is having its moment, and we’re totally here for it. This Heritage Month, we’re all about rediscovering local gems and supporting local. The glam of international travel? Great, until you hit the airport drama and the insane exchange rate.

September 5, 2025

BON Hotels Women’s Day Mini Reset

What If the Best Way to Celebrate Women’s Month… Is by Doing Absolutely Nothing?

August 8, 2025

5 beautiful last-minute getaways you can still make happen this winter

It happens every year: the school holidays are suddenly upon you, and your social media feed is spilling over with poolside selfies and road trip reels. You think that by neglecting to lock in your break months ago, you’ve completely missed the bandwagon. Not so fast.

July 4, 2025

What kids really want from the winter holidays

What happens when you ask over 7,000 children around the world what they truly want from a holiday? You realise they’re longing for a different kind of luxury. The luxury of spending time in places where they can imagine freely, connect deeply and live out stories they’ll retell long after the suitcase is unpacked.

May 27, 2025

Could Google’s Latest Test Help Hotels Reclaim Direct Bookings? BON Hotels Thinks So

For years, hotels have faced an uphill battle against online travel agencies (OTAs) like Booking.com and Expedia. While these platforms bring visibility, they also demand high commissions and control pricing, making it difficult for hotels to drive direct bookings. Now, Google is testing a major shift that could disrupt this status quo:

March 20, 2025

SA Hotel Groups are at a Crossroads

When I think back 30 years, South Africa's hotel industry looked very different. At the time, large international chains dominated, bringing their structured global systems and one-size-fits-all approaches to our shores. It worked well back then. These companies had proven strategies that helped them succeed around the world. But things have changed, and those same approaches don’t meet today’s challenges.

December 4, 2024

What’s your Festive personality? Take the quiz!

Are you the festive maverick who knows all the hidden holiday spots? Your December plans might include lazing on a deck chair in the sun, or you may enjoy a rush of adventure? Whatever your festive personality, you’ll discover how to have your ‘Best Summa Eva’ with BON Hotels! Take the quiz!

November 26, 2024

2024’s Year-end office party trends and why they’re good for business

There’s always one colleague who knows the exact amount of days to Christmas. It may be you! But, if you’re the one in charge of year-end office celebrations, the announcement that it’s under 50 days can elicit panic. You need to start prepping, pronto!

November 12, 2024

Mountain View international Hotel by BON Hotels year end

Going beyond the braai: The best places to explore South Africa’s heritage

Did you kick back and relax with loved ones on Heritage Day, revelling in the smoky smell of the braai, ‘boerie’ roll and drink in hand? It’s arguably the best way to spend this beloved public holiday. But perhaps that proudly South African feeling got under your skin, and you’re itching to go beyond the Weber and lay down the tongs for adventure! If so, read on – we’ve lined up a selection of South Africa’s heritage gems where you can get to know our beautiful country better.

October 4, 2024

How South Africa is cultivating female hospitality powerhouses

While women represent 55.5% of the global hospitality workforce, the climb to leadership positions remains steep, with only 26% attaining those roles. Yet, a different narrative is unfolding in South Africa, where a new generation of women is actively shaping the industry's future.

August 29, 2024

The power of a pad: This Women’s Month BON is creating a cycle of empowerment

The lack of basic hygiene products is a reality for many women and girls in South Africa. This Women's Month, BON Hotels is on a mission to make a difference, one essential item at a time.

August 21, 2024

Travel during shoulder season? Here’s why it’s the best decision you’ll ever make

Let’s not call them secret seasons – low and shoulder seasons have just as much to offer as peak travel times of the year, including popular festivals and events. Every month has something special in South Africa. Perhaps you just need a guide to what’s going on in the months that may have fallen through the travel brochure cracks.

July 22, 2024

Feathers, Fashion, and Bridgerton in… Oudtshoorn!

Season three of Bridgerton, everyone’s favourite racy Regency-era series, has just dropped, and we can’t get enough of it. But did you know there is a little piece of Oudtshoorn in this hot-on-trend Shondaland Netflix drama?

July 16, 2024

Hospitality’s Leadership Extinction: Are We Training Dinosaurs in a Digital World?

The hospitality service industry has undergone fundamental changes in the past five years. Guests today are more demanding, more experienced, less willing to settle for mediocrity.

June 25, 2024

Preserving Hospitality’s Human Touch in a Tech-Driven World

As a child, I have vivid memories of family holidays that were steeped in the warmth of human connection. The genuine smiles and hearty greetings from hotel staff as we arrived, the friendly conversations with servers over meals, and the personal touches that made each stay feel like a home away from home. These were the moments that defined true hospitality for me – moments that sparked my passion for this industry and set me on a lifelong journey.

June 24, 2024

African hospitality sector seeks freedom from Traditional management models

Traditionally rigid, long-term and onerous hotel, resort and lodge management models for mid-sized, mid-scale and mid-market hotels, lodges and resorts are no longer fit for purpose within much of Africa’s unique hospitality landscape. For this growing and thriving hospitality market segment, Guy Stehlik, CEO of BON Hotels, advocates for a shift towards greater flexibility and owner empowerment. He believes that many hotel owners throughout Africa should now be in a position to negotiate more control than being locked into inflexible, long-term contracts where owner involvement is shunned.

June 14, 2024

How to budget for life’s big moments – from travel to matric dances and weddings

You want to celebrate life’s big moments and go on adventures, but when you add up the costs involved, it’s easy to start feeling completely overwhelmed. We hear you. It can seem like only those with champagne budgets can afford to have vacations, weddings, and matric dances. But don’t despair – there’s also a way to do it when your budget is Grapetizer-sized! We're ditching the recycled tips and giving you some unique strategies that will not only help with the practical side of things but also crack the code on budgeting decisions, dipping into a little of the psychology of spending.

May 28, 2024

Where to Stay, Play, and Eat in New Doornfontein: Hallmark House’s GM Spills the Beans

We have great news for those culture-vulture travellers looking to experience Johannesburg’s electrifying creative scene. The edgy Hallmark House Hotel has joined the ever-growing BON Hotels family. A hotspot for urban adventurers in the heart of buzzing New Doornfontein, Hallmark House by BON Hotels exudes a unique blend of industrial chic and artistic flair. Designed by renowned architect David Adjaye, the hotel’s 46 modern guest rooms boast walls adorned with local art and stunning views of Joburg’s iconic skyline.

April 25, 2024

How to make your workation work for you: Five BON tips

“Excuse me, what is a workation?” We better answer this common question before we start on how it can add to your life. As the name suggests, it is a blend of holiday and work. It may not seem appealing at first, but it offers a chance to change your environment, explore a new place, pull the escape hatch on boring routines, and even avoid burnout.

March 27, 2024

Hallmark House partners with BON Hotels

Hallmark House partners with BON Hotels to elevate iconic Joburg guest experience Steyn Entertainment's acclaimed Hallmark House has joined forces with BON Hotels to elevate the guest experience at the iconic Johannesburg art hotel. This partnership fuses the property's distinctive artistic flair with BON's hospitality expertise.

March 7, 2024

BON Hotels’ Weighs In: The Best of eSwatini

The Kingdom of eSwatini (formerly Swaziland) is a tiny kingdom offering an authentic slice of Africa, untouched by mass tourism, making it a perfect destination for any traveller looking to venture off the beaten path. If you’ve already decided on a memorable escape to eSwatini, you’re probably wondering where to go, what to do, and where to stay. Here are BON Hotels’ top picks.

February 28, 2024

The BON Hotels team bares all: Our most heartwarming, authentic (and sometimes a little awkward!) romantic moments

The BON Hotels team bares all: Our most heartwarming, authentic (and sometimes a little awkward!) romantic moments We all have those moments when the heart pounds, the stomach ties itself in knots, and the world seems to stand still in the face of love. At BON Hotels, we’ve had the privilege of witnessing some of the most heartwarming, authentic, and, yes, occasionally awkward romantic moments that could rival any rom-com for their sheer unpredictability and charm. So, grab a cup of something comforting and perhaps a box of heart-shaped chocolates, and let’s dive into our team’s most captivating tales.

February 20, 2024

BON Hotels steps up accessible travel with SA Guide-Dogs partnership

Cape Town, 15 February 2024 – BON Hotels, a fast-growing, exciting, and leading African hotel group, has announced a ground-breaking partnership with the SA Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind. This alliance, launching at Protea Hotel by Marriott Cape Town Durbanville, underscores BON Hotels’ unwavering commitment to fostering an environment where inclusivity and accessibility are not just buzzwords but a lived reality for every guest.

February 14, 2024

BON Hotels launches Cape Town presence with Majorca Apartments

BON Hotels, a leading hospitality company in Africa, is excited to announce its expansion into Cape Town with the management takeover of the renowned Majorca Apartments in the prestigious Cape Town Century City development commencing on 1 February 2024.

February 1, 2024