Aparthotels rattling established hotel giants, gobbling up market share - Rael Phillips

While the global hotel and resort industry was heavily impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, serviced apartments and aparthotels, many of which managed to stay open when everything else shut down, surged ahead. In this interview with Biznews, Rael Phillips, the CEO of Totalstay, the company that brought the concept of aparthotels to South Africa, said traditional or 'old school' hotels were stagnant and plateauing as guest preferences have changed. He emphasised that Totalstay aparthotels are now competing head-on with any other hotel in Cape Town, offering guests a variety of options in terms of prices, facilities, and amenities, with some even featuring podcast studios. Phillips said that digital nomads testing out various cities worldwide find Totalstay aparthotels and serviced apartments in Cape town ideal for work as it offers free uncapped internet, jacked-up security, and a consistent power supply. Philips highlighted the exponential growth in Cape Town's tourism, with visitors increasing by 16% and airport arrivals up by 104% and expressed optimism about the growth potential of the aparthotel and serviced apartment sector in South Africa.