Lonrho and easyGroup have announced the opening of their first hotel in Johannesburg.

Scheduled to open later this year, the property will be branded as part of Sir Stelios’s “easyHotel” chain.

The 120 room budget hotel will be created from the conversion of three floors of the classically designed landmark building, formerly Stuttafords department store.

Work will start next month and the hotel is expected to receive guests in November 2012.

Situated at the corner of Rissik and Pritchard Streets in the heart of Johannesburg’s Central Business District (CBD), the no-frills but comfortable hotel occupies one of the most high profile locations in the country.

Rissik Street neighbours retail stores Jet and Edgars as well as the Johannesburg High Court.

The CBD is also home to many central and local government offices as well as the headquarters of several international mining companies.

The easyHotel.com Rissik Street is the first hotel under the exclusive 20 year master franchise agreement that Lonrho enjoys with easyHotel.com.

Together, easyHotel and Lonrho are committed to establishing an easyHotel network across Africa.

The MFA provides Lonrho with the exclusive rights to the easyHotel.com brand in Africa and sets out an agreed opening schedule for fifty properties by 2016. 

Opening its first easyHotel at the heart of the Johannesburg, the commercial capital of South Africa, demonstrates Lonrho Budget Hotels’ corporate objective of operating hotels in Africa’s high demand, high growth destinations.

easyHotel will be the first trans-continental hotel brand in Africa specifically designed to be accessible to many, not a select few.

Stelios Haji-Ioannou, chairman of easyGroup commented: “easyHotel is all about simple comfort and great value.

“So I’m delighted to bring our first African hotel to Johannesburg.

“The city has a wealth of attractions and events of interest to both leisure and business visitors, and this new easyHotel will allow them to enjoy the best of what Johannesburg has to offer - without the expense.

“I’m confident that easyHotel fans will soon be putting South Africa on their destinations wish list.”