November 2015: Having secured a number of awards in recent years, Protea Hotels has entrenched its position as one of South Africa’s most popular hospitality brands, a standing recognised across the age spectrum. Its standing among Generation Y and the so-called Generation Next – already recognised through winning 6 Sunday Times Generation Next Awards for the Coolest Hotel brand – has been further endorsed by Ask Afrika, which recently announced Protea Hotels as the winner of the Hotels category in the Ask Afrika 2015/2016 Youth Brands Survey. The Survey hones in on the views of people aged between 15 and 34.

The Award is the culmination of research conducted by the well-known research company, TGI SA, on behalf of Ask Afrika. “This award reflects the loyalty of South Africa’s younger generations to the Protea Hotels brand. TGI SA looked at brands that define a common experience that young South Africans are committed to, and Protea Hotels stood out in the hotel category,” explains Mark Satterfield, Chief Operating Officer, Marriott International, Middle East & Africa and Business Leader of Protea Hotels. “Since we have a significant focus on listening to what the millennial generation (under-35s) are looking for and how best to engage them – in addition to addressing other markets’ needs – this recognition is an acknowledgement of the success of our efforts. The Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! brand within the Protea Hotel portfolio particularly focus on the millennial generation, as is evident in their funky design, the unique happenings and events that take place in the hotels and the trendy food and beverage offerings.”

Over and above the recognition of Protea Hotels in a number of other awards, Ask Afrika has regularly identified the hotel brand as a top performer. “We’re certainly very proud of the recognition we’ve had from Ask Afrika,” Satterfield says. “The latest award follows on from the Service Excellence Award we received for 2013/2014, and we were distinguished from our competitors again when we got the 2014/2015 and the 2015/2016 Ask Afrika Awards as the Icon Brand of the year.”

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