INTOSOL Holdings Plc - Completes Purchase of Safari Lodge Site
PR Newswire
London, November 19
INTOSOL Holdings Plc / Ticker: INTO / Index: LSE / Sector: Travel & Leisure
19 November 2018
INTOSOL Holdings Plc
('INTOSOL' or the 'Company')
Completes Purchase of Safari Lodge Site in Leadwood Big Game Estate
INTOSOL Holdings Plc, the award-winning international luxury travel company, is delighted to announce that is has completed the purchase of the Leadwood Safari Lodge site (the 'Safari Lodge') in the Leadwood Big Game Estate in South Africa (www.leadwood.net), one of the premier locations globally to see the Big Five in the wild. The Safari Lodge, which is anticipated to open in Q4 2019, will be included in the Company's 'SOUL Private Collection', (www.soulprivatecollection.com), INTOSOL's portfolio of owned and managed boutique hotel properties.
The Safari Lodge encompasses four-hectares which will house up to fifteen high-end safari chalets within beautiful bushland in close proximity to a game attracting large water hole and views across the Blyde River Canyon Mountains. It is situated between the Kruger National Park and the Blyde River Canon, both renowned for their outstanding natural beauty and the diversity of the wildlife. Equally, the Safari Lodge has excellent access, being a 20-minute drive from Hoedspruit Airport HDS, which has links to locations where INTOSOL's other properties are located, including Ocean's Wilderness (www.oceanswilderness.co.za), its flagship nine-bedroom boutique hotel in the Garden Route.
This ZAR 9million purchase is consistent with the Company's strategy of building a property portfolio of boutique hotels, which facilitate increased margins and provide asset backing to the business, in tandem with providing personalised travel design to its growing client base, which currently stands at c.15,000.
INTOSOL Executive Chairman, Rainer Spekowius, said: "The Leadwood Safari Lodge will be a fantastic addition to the 'SOUL Private Collection'. The Leadwood Big Game Estate is a globally renowned destination for the Big five. We believe the Lodge will enhance the SOUL Private Collection's existing portfolio due to its stunning surroundings and the opportunity it presents to observe the Big Five in their natural habitat. Its close proximity to nearby airports is a real advantage enabling guests to enjoy breakfast in Cape Town, or on the Garden Route, in the morning and experience an outstanding game drive in the afternoon.
"Designing tailored safari experiences is already a key element of the INTOSOL business, as we manage a high number of bookings in the Kruger region already every year. The Safari Lodge is in an outstanding location and we believe will enhance our clients' experiences, as well as proving to be a valuable property that bolsters our asset backing and financial performance. I look forward to updating shareholders in the coming year as we build our travel business and deliver the Leadwood Safari Lodge."
**ENDS**
For further information on INTOSOL visit the Company's website www.intosolholdingsplc.com or contact:
| Rainer Spekowius Executive Chairman | INTOSOL Holdings Plc | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
| Charles Goodfellow / Martin Lampshire (Corporate Broker) | Peterhouse Corporate Finance | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7220 9791 |
| Juliet Earl / Gaby Jenner (Financial PR) | St Brides Partners Ltd | Tel: +44 (0) 20 7236 1177 |
INTOSOL Holdings PLC is an international luxury travel company that merges private travel design with hotel management and property ownership to provide bespoke, high-end global travel experiences across the world. Its profitable private design business which blends personal contact with proprietary technology, VIRTOSOL, already services a growing client base of over 15,000 and the Company is focussed on further expansion into English-speaking markets. To increase margin and asset backing, the Company is building its SOUL Private Collection of leased and owned boutique properties. In line with this, it is in the process of purchasing and developing a number of sites in South Africa including Oceans Wilderness, a luxury nine-bedroom boutique hotel in the Garden Route and a commercial safari lodge in the renowned Leadwood Big Game Estate, one of the premier places to see the Big 5.
The luxury travel market continues to grow and tends to be immune to economic fluctuations, with high-end customers favouring bespoke and exclusive experiences regardless of the greater economic climate. INTOSOL is ideally positioned to capitalise on this trend and execute its growth strategy to become a leading bespoke travel company with an international client base, a global experience portfolio and a range of high-end properties across the world providing high margin revenue and asset backing.
