South African hotel industry icon Otto Stehlik, founder and former chairman of Protea Hotels, has joined his son Guy Stehlik at Bon Hotels, a Cape Town-based hotel management and marketing company, to expand what is now a portfolio of approximately 11 hotels.
Since Protea Hotels’ sale to Marriott International last year, Otto Stehlik has been working on the transition of Protea to Marriott and will now help his son expand Bon Hotels.
Guy Stehlik, who founded his hospitality company in 2012, admits that it is a natural progression for his father to join the team. “Not only is my father an inspiration, but he also brings unparalleled knowledge and intellectual capital to the table – in essence we are preserving and nurturing a legacy,” he said.
Otto Stehlik will be assisting the team in opening doors, analyzing and advising on potential deals, and sharing knowledge: “I know that it has been on everyone’s minds,” Otto said, “and after the successful acquisition of the Protea Group into Marriott, the natural step was to join my son and assist him in growing his business.”
At an event in Bon Hotels’ flagship hotel in Shelley Point earlier this year, Guy Stehlik said that there is a great need for a hotel chain catering for holidaymakers looking for a 3- to 4-star experience in South Africa.