NOW OPEN: Inside Cape Town’s ‘ugly’ luxury waterfront hotel, and its nightly rates

Cape Town’s newest luxury hotel is now open, bringing 142 rooms and suites to the V&A Waterfront. However, its appearance has already divided opinion.

The Cape Town Edition is located at Quay 7, overlooking the Waterfront’s new superyacht marina, with views of Table Mountain.

The hotel’s arrival marks the African debut of the international Edition Hotels brand. Its portfolio includes properties in London, New York, Tokyo and Barcelona.

Unfortunately for the brand, the building attracted the wrong kind of attention long before welcoming its first guests.

Images shared during the construction phase sparked debate, with critics describing its concrete-heavy exterior as overly Brutalist.

Some commentators called the “Soviet-style architecture” an eyesore on the Mother City’s skyline, while some likened the design to that of a “prison.”

Local shock jock Gareth Cliff was also far from impressed when the first images of the waterfront hotel went live, calling the building “ugly.”

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

The inspiration behind the design

Designed by Shanghai-based architectural firm Neri&Hu, in collaboration with Cape Town-based architects, the Cape Town Edition hotel draws inspiration from the site’s industrial maritime history.

“Its architecture references the warehouse structures that previously occupied the location, with a long, low-slung form, pitched rooflines and materials inspired by the working harbour,” writes BizCommunity.

Over six million bricks were hand-laid in varying patterns to give the building its distinctive textured façade.

A look inside Cape Town’s new waterfront hotel

The property features 142 guestrooms and suites. Its largest accommodation options are the 240-square-metre Penthouse and the 112-square-metre Harbour Suite.

The hotel also has five restaurants and bars, led by executive chef Phil Carmichael.

These include Shale, its signature restaurant, and Eave, a rooftop restaurant and bar alongside a heated swimming pool.

Other facilities include a spa below sea level, a 24-hour gym, a ballroom and several meeting spaces.

The hotel also features The Drum, a cylindrical open-air space with a spiral staircase leading to a viewing platform overlooking the harbour, Table Mountain and the Atlantic Ocean.

What does it cost to stay?

A night at the new luxury Cape Town Edition comes with quite a hefty price tag.

The average rate per night for the cheapest rooms, based on November 2026 availability, is roughly R17 000. That’s for two guests, with breakfast excluded.

Prices climb considerably over the festive season. Rates during the Christmas week were listed from around R28 000 per night.