Property

New luxury hotel opens in Cape Town

Kirsten Minnaar • 26 November 2025

BlackBrick has opened its new Cape Town flagship, BlackBrick Gardens, an apartment hotel offering flexible stays, luxury amenities and community-focused spaces as part of the brand’s global expansion.

On 20 November 2025, BlackBrick Hotels, Africa’s leading lifestyle hotel brand, added a new area code to its growing portfolio with the opening of its Cape Town flagship BlackBrick Gardens.

Developers Jonathan Liebmann and Moritz Wellensiek launched the first BlackBrick in Sandton in 2019. Since then, the duo has expanded their unique apartment-hotel network across South Africa.

BlackBrick Gardens marks its latest venture, a six-storey transformation of a former 1960s hat factory building on Roodehek Street into 93 fully furnished one- and two-bedroom apartment hotel units.

In February 2025, BlackBrick launched a limited release of 25 units, with starting prices of R1.94 million for a one-bedroom unit and R2.89 million for a two-bedroom unit.

Set at the foot of Lion’s Head and Table Mountain, BlackBrick Gardens marks a new chapter for the group’s global expansion and represents the next evolution of the brand’s culture-led apartment hotels.

It offers a blend of short- and long-term stays tailored for the progressive nomad, contract professional and modern traveller.

While preserving the heritage of its exterior, the building has been designed to strike a balance between privacy and connection.

A dramatically excavated central atrium floods the interior with natural light, anchoring the space. Each apartment is compact yet functional, featuring two balconies, a kitchenette, a bedroom, a bathroom, and a lounge.

The property features six food and beverage concepts, including two restaurants, co-working and meeting spaces, a Pilates studio, and a rooftop terrace and pool.

It also offers the BB+ Membership platform – a curated experiences program that gives locals and members access to events, walks and talks, wellness, art, design, and architecture.

Food offering

Guests also have access to Max’s Mezcal Bar, Lucy’s Juice Bar, a Minimalist Wine tasting lane and a partnership with award-winning Rosetta Roastery featuring the very best in artisanal coffee blends at the coffee bar.

“Every space within, above and below has its own story – the design is intentional,” said BlackBrick Hotels co-founder Jonathan Liebmann.

“Lucy’s and Max’s aren’t just names on a door – they’re part of a personal narrative that runs through the building. Each venue was conceived with purpose, character and connection in mind.”

Food sits at the heart of the BlackBrick experience. Food and Beverage partner, Diego Silva, has introduced two dining concepts to the hotel.

The first, Atrás, is a refined, ingredient-driven restaurant in the reception. The second, Arriba, is located on the rooftop terrace and pool deck, which is built around sharing plates and social energy.

“We’ve created a space that feels human in every sense – where design, service and technology work quietly in the background so people can truly connect,” said Gardens’ general manager Logan Naidoo.

According to Naidoo, the hotel moves with the rhythm of its guests, whether they are staying for a night or a month. Liebmann added that Gardens is the prototype for where the group is headed globally.

“Our model is about designing spaces that people can stay, work and create in – hotels that feel like homes, but also unlock the possibility of chance encounters and collaboration. Just as importantly, it’s about upliftment,” Naidoo said.

“Roodehek Street is becoming a hub of local partnerships and co-labs, which I’m deeply passionate about, given my history in urban regeneration. Cape Town is the right place to set that blueprint.”

With established locations in Johannesburg and Cape Town, and Umhlanga on the horizon, BlackBrick’s footprint continues to grow – with expansion to the United States next in line.