A major new luxury hotel is opening in Cape Town next month

Cape Town’s luxury hotel scene is about to get a major new addition, with Africa’s first EDITION hotel set to open at the V&A Waterfront next month.

The Cape Town EDITION is scheduled to open in October 2026, bringing Marriott International’s luxury lifestyle hotel brand to the African continent for the first time.

The new hotel forms part of a major period of expansion at the V&A Waterfront, one of South Africa’s most visited destinations, which welcomed 27 million visitors during Growthpoint’s 2026 financial year.

A major new luxury hotel for Cape Town

Growthpoint Properties, which owns a 50% interest in the V&A Waterfront, confirmed in its latest full-year results that the 142-room Cape Town EDITION Hotel by Marriott will open in October.

The hotel is located at Quay 7 in the V&A Waterfront, placing guests close to Cape Town’s harbour, the city’s famous waterfront attractions and some of its most recognisable views.

The arrival of the EDITION comes as demand for luxury accommodation at the Waterfront continues to grow.

Growthpoint reported that average daily room rates across its Waterfront hotel portfolio increased by 10.2% during FY2026, excluding the impact of the redevelopment of the former Table Bay Hotel.

The Cape Town EDITION will feature 142 rooms, including 27 suites, according to the hotel brand.

Guests will have views across the V&A Waterfront and towards some of Cape Town’s most famous landmarks, including Table Mountain, Lion’s Head and Signal Hill.

The hotel will also feature luxury amenities including a signature spa, rooftop pool, restaurants and social spaces, as well as facilities for events and private functions.

Six ultra-luxury branded residences will also form part of the wider development.

The residences are expected to range from approximately 354m² to 524m², placing them firmly in Cape Town’s ultra-luxury property market.

The building has already got people talking

While the hotel’s opening is expected to be a major addition to Cape Town’s luxury tourism offering, its appearance has already sparked plenty of debate.

Images of the building under construction have divided opinion online, with some critics taking issue with its bold, concrete-heavy exterior and describing it as overly Brutalist.

Why is almost everything built since 1920 so purposefully designed to be ugly? Why did the postmodernists influence architects so easily. The match of form and function is such a glorious thing when achieved with beauty as a virtue for its own sake… https://t.co/N3qJsD6Efp

— Gareth Cliff (@GarethCliff) August 9, 2026

Others have defended its distinctive contemporary design and argued that the finished hotel should be judged once construction is complete.

The hotel was designed by Shanghai-based architectural firm Neri & Hu, in collaboration with Cape Town-based StudioMAS, with the interior expected to incorporate warmer local materials, artisanal details and design influences.

Whether people eventually love or hate the exterior, there is little doubt that the Cape Town EDITION is already attracting attention.

And when the doors open next month, South Africa’s newest ultra-luxury hotel will finally give visitors the chance to see what is behind one of Cape Town’s most talked-about new buildings.