South Africa’s hospitality partners embrace pet-friendly travel trends

South Africa’s hospitality industry is keeping pace with global travel trends by introducing pet-friendly flights and vacations. 

Leading the charge is the Drostdy Hotel in Graaff-Reinet, where centuries-old history meets modern luxury. 

Originally built in 1804, this iconic heritage hotel has been meticulously restored, offering a blend of opulent accommodation and rich cultural experiences.

This magnificent 48-room boutique 5-star hotel features outstanding Karoo cuisine, an Africology Spa, an art gallery, and a wine shop. Guests can also explore Graaff-Reinet, South Africa’s fourth-oldest town, boasting over 200 heritage sites and monuments.

The Drostdy Hotel has recently partnered with Air du Cap, providing seamless travel options from Cape Town to Graaff-Reinet in under two hours. 

Based at Cape Winelands Airport, Air du Cap specializes in providin charter flights across the Western, Eastern, and Northern Cape using its flagship Beechcraft Baron 58. 

Both Air du Cap and the Drostdy Hotel are pet-friendly, offering accommodations for small and medium dogs. 

Pet guests are welcomed with water and food bowls and a comfortable dog bed upon arrival.

“Tarryn Farrell, Sales and Marketing Director for Africa at Valor Hospitality expressed their delight to collaborate with Air du Cap to offer their guests an exceptional and seamless travel experience.

“The convenience of a charter flight, combined with our pet-friendly accommodation, ensures that every traveler—human or fur baby—can enjoy a truly memorable stay,” said Farrell.

A decade of transformation and empowerment

It has been a decade since the Rupert Family Foundation donated the hotel to the South African College for Tourism (SACT), and together they have become an inspiring model of five-star service, sustainable tourism, and warm Karoo hospitality.

The SA College for Tourism is a registered Non-Profit Organisation founded in 2001 by Dr Anton Rupert with the mission to provide capacity building and economic empowerment for marginalised, unemployed, rural, and peri-urban youth, with a focus on women, in the hospitality industry.

In 2012 the Rupert Family Foundation bought the Drostdy Hotel and reopened it two years later, after extensive renovations. The hotel was donated to SACT which provides hospitality training for young women from impoverished rural backgrounds.

“By nurturing local talent we’re ensuring a thriving future for the tourism industry,” says Tony Romer-Lee, Co-Founder and Managing Partner AMEA. 

Beyond hospitality training, SACT also operates a Tracker Academy. Together, SACT and the Drostdy Hotel have become a model for five-star service, sustainable tourism, and authentic Karoo hospitality.

A living legacy

The Drostdy Hotel has a long and lively history. It was first built in 1804 during the Dutch occupation, by architect Louis Thibault as a residence for the landdrost (a Boer magistrate prior to the establishment of British administration) and it hosted many important historical figures.

In 1878 the hotel was bought by Henry Kromm in 1878 and converted into a hotel that became known as Kromm’s Drostdy Hotel. After Kromm sold it in 1903 it continued as a hotel under various owners until its acquisition in 1975 by Historical Homes of South Africa when the building was again restored and became a national monument.

“We have honoured the heritage of this remarkable building”, says the director of the Drostdy Hotel, John Loftie-Eaton, “yet also elevated it to luxury accommodation. 

“We remain dedicated to honouring the hotel’s past while ensuring it remains a vibrant part of the future of the Karoo. All of this is a true reflection of the incredible vision and support from the Rupert family.”

Main Image: Supplied