Bheki Dube is Revolutionising Inner-City Hospitality by Telling African Stories in Local Spaces

Positioned in the innovative center of Maboneng and recording Johannesburg's dynamic city culture with its bike-friendly outside areas, a swimming pool, a bar, a roof and a roomy typical location for innovative and interesting experiences, it would appear just fitting that Curiocity Joburg, the flagship hotel for Curiocity Africa and among a chain of city hotels, would offer a hybrid offering to attract digital wanderers, the regional start-up scene and regional and worldwide travelers, alike.

When creator Bheki Dube produced Curiocity Africa, hybrid hotels were practically unusual on the continent. Hotels that mix the standard hotel design with co-living and co-working areas along with cultural immersion, where visitors can live, work, consume, consume and hang out all in one area were an abnormality. Thanks to his early work as a guide, informing the story of the location, Dube understood there was an opening.

His experience-led hotels mix those starts as a strolling tourist guide, influenced by his granny's love of storytelling, with an intent to highlight substantial areas and individuals within the cities where the hotels lie.

“As far as I can keep in mind, my grandmother would talk these stories of Africa. And it's about continuing with that tradition and stating, ‘how do I utilize Curiocity as an automobile to share the inherent stories of Africa?'” Dube stated.

This vision is shown in the experiences provided at Curiocity areas. Whether in Johannesburg or Cape Town, visitors can anticipate curated activities such as dawn power walkings, experience trips, and sound journeys. These experiences are developed to make sure that each stay is special and immersive.

After introducing the very first Curiocity in 2013, in Johannesburg, at just 21, Dube dealt with substantial difficulties due to his minimal organization understanding and fundamental assistance.

He discussed: “We're not normally born into a wealth of copyright where our moms and dads are going over company and offers. I wasn't born into that. Some individuals were. Increasing above the status quo and establishing this copyright to engage at a high level is a difficulty in itself. It needs studying and using understanding systems that notify you on that. Negotiating your terms and presence in such areas is intellectually difficult. Ultimately, when you are successful in those discussions with designers, funders, and others you pitch your idea to, you ask, ‘How do we then money these concepts and principles?'”

Given that the Curiocity organization design was distinct in South Africa at the time, Dube had a hard time to persuade risk-averse funders that it was a beneficial financial investment.

“Funding instruments are really narrow-minded. They just wish to money fully grown items, brand names, or markets that have actually currently reached maturity. Raising capital for brand-new markets in hospitality and travel was rather a difficulty,” he elaborated.

Eventually, the standout quality that brought in financiers to Dube was his enthusiasm. The lessons he acquired in his fundamental years from his grandma, such as effort and appearing, in addition to bring in the ideal financiers with his enthusiasm, having the ideal coaches to assist him, and developing a strong business governance structure within his group assisted him conquer the preliminary stumbling blocks to developing a growing organization.

A years later on, Curiocity has actually grown to consist of 7 hybrid hotels under its umbrella, consisting of Curiocity Joburg and Green Point, together with 5 handled homes.

In Johannesburg, these residential or commercial properties consist of Fox Street Studios and The Urban Fox, while in Cape Town they include Salts and Salty Cracks. All these areas are centrally situated and stress the Curiocity brand name principles of experiential stays.

Furthermore, Dube and his group are set to open another top quality hotel in Cape Town's fashionable center Kloof Street in July 2024, together with their brand-new head workplace, which is likewise found in Cape Town.

Central to Curiocity's technique is a storytelling aspect that comes through assisted trips, vibrant in-person and virtual experiences, in addition to partnerships with creatives that are merged into the experiences and the areas. Assessing that innovative synergy, Dube pointed out a mural in the Green Point area, entitled Far from Home.

“If you take a look at the mural on the very first side [of the property]we dealt with a popular South African artist, Atang ChikareAt stated value, you'll see lovely art work, however when you begin to check out in between the lines, the parts you see on the exterior represent the roadways that lead us home because Curiocity is home to lots of worldwide residents that stick with us. It was fitting for such a popular artist to develop significant murals with us.”

“When you take a look at the work, you'll see that it appears like a map of the London underground or the train in the United States. Various locations that have various kinds of transportation systems that link them together from one area to the other. It likewise appears like an area itself. It's indicated for individuals to feel like they're in their own area in some method or the other. And Curiocity being a location that remains in both Joburg and Cape Town, it was a method to link them as structures where individuals concern feel comfortable when they are far from home,” Chikare, additional discussed his work.

Thinking that we are all descendants of African griot writers, authors, and poets, Dube's calling is to link South Africa and the African continent through experiences, utilizing Curiocity as his car. Therefore, the storytelling in Curiocity's areas, shown in the art, literature, and decoration, represents the African experience.

“In a few of our typical locations and spaces, we source literature from Chimurenga in Woodstock. We might have gone to any book shop, however we picked to highlight considerable areas and individuals within Cape Town, specifically from the Black point of view. When visitors get a book, they may question where it's from, and we inform them about Chimurenga, motivating them to go to, purchase mementos, or participate in their programs. Even our furnishings is sourced from regional makers to make each Curiocity experience distinct.”

In addition, the brand name just recently worked together with the 2024 International Public Art Festival hosted by BAZ-ART to host 20 artists in Cape Town. Dube's group likewise took part in triggering street art trips for the week-long occasion.

“These cooperations are essential to Curiocity's success. Any hotel can be a hotel, however our collaborations with regional creatives and writers make us stand apart. Curiocity is extremely experience-led, suggesting visitors do not simply remain in a hotel space; they immerse themselves in the area, assisted by regional writers who share the story of the location and the nation.”

The upcoming Curiocity Kloof Street will inform the story of its location through murals and art work, with strategies to team up with South African graffiti artist, Dekor One. It will include a range of space types, consisting of luxurious suites, family, female-only dormitories, combined dorm rooms, gender-neutral dormitories, and single systems, dealing with a vast array of visitors, from young tourists to executives.

The brand-new area will likewise have common locations, continuing Curiocity's custom of providing special, experience-led stays.

Having actually experienced his obstacles linked to minimal understanding of the market, he thinks that tourist in South Africa has actually frequently been underestimated as a topic in the education system and intends to alter that story by highlighting its capacity for social modification and entrepreneurship.

Looking ahead, Curiocity strategies to broaden within South Africa over the next 5 years, with the long-lasting objective of developing areas throughout the continent. Dube visualizes Curiocity linking crucial African cities, using hospitality from Cape to Cairo, Morocco to Madagascar and partnering with similar business owners to open local capacity. Focus and tactical development are important for Dube, intending to place Curiocity as a robust and prominent travel brand name in Africa.

By stressing storytelling and significant experiences, Curiocity has actually taken a special specific niche in the hospitality market, driven by a vision of linking individuals and locations through the power of interest.

As Curiocity's approach states, “every fantastic journey starts with interest.”

Story Credit: Phendu Kutafor Bird Story Agency