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A new partnership with the French Ambassador is set to give one of Cape Town’s oldest hotels a new lease on life.

Built in 1897, The Lenox is a popular landmark in Gardens – even older than nearby Mount Nelson – although the hotel has appeared almost derelict for the last decade. The core of the Lenox survived as the surrounding suburb rapidly modernised, but it inevitably saw a gradual degradation from landmark property to low-cost backpackers.

Evolving from the then Mount Vernon Hotel, the hotel has survived wars, multiple pandemics and dozens of rulers and regimes. It almost met its match, thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, but sold on auction in 2021 for more than R25 million.

Since the sale, the property has seen gradual improvements and upgrades until last month’s announcement that the Lenox will undergo more extensive renovations and restorations, thanks to investments from French-owned Mobilitas.

Mobilitas, which operates a large network of moving and transportation companies, including Stuttaford Van Lines in South Africa, has previously collaborated with other South African cultural organisations such as Iziko and the Nelson Mandela Museum. It will employ its Memorist subsidiary to help turn the property into a boutique hotel and artist’s residence.

The family-owned French firm claims it had been watching the property for almost a decade and acted quickly when the epidemic pushed it onto the market. But rather than a typical vintage hotel, the concept is more sophisticated.

This will be the first residence constructed by the French Embassy in Africa.

“The overall project will be imbued with SA art, culture and craft – we envision it as a place for artistic expression and a meeting place for local people,” says Sophie Taïeb, Director of Corporate Development for Memorist.

Ambassador of France to South Africa, David Martinon, said the embassy was “very excited about the possibility of creating a modern, cultural experience within a historic environment”. The hotel will focus on art and offer a specialised restaurant and conference facilities. An existing parking area will be converted into a garden.

An entire floor of The Lenox will be utilised to accommodate nine artists from France and Africa. Its location, close to the Company’s Garden and Iziko South African National Gallery, is a key drawcard for its new focus and hotel guests will get to interact directly with the artists and visit their studios.

News24 reports that Newmark Hotels, which has several properties in Africa in its portfolio – including the historically significant Winchester Hotel – will oversee the operations side of the business.