Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Johannesburg’s Iconic Hotels: The Life and Death of the Two Carltons

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
New Directions in South African Tourism Geographies

Part of the book series: Geographies of Tourism and Global Change ((GTGC))

Abstract

The establishment of an accommodation sector is crucial for the development of any tourism destination as they are the most visible manifestation of tourism. Urban hotels have been developed to accommodate a range of tourists and they comprise of a range of social and business spaces that are often identified as prestige developments for their funders. Iconic city hotels are assets for the destination and can become symbols of modernism and development. The aim of this chapter is to contribute to scholarship on hotel geographies of the past. More specifically the focus is on the rise and fall of two iconic luxury hotels in Johannesburg, South Africa’s major economic centre. Both hotels were called ‘The Carlton’. In many respects, The Carlton in Johannesburg was as iconic as Raffles in Singapore or Peninsula in Hong Kong. The paper builds upon and parallels the works of McNeill (2008) and McNeill and McNamara (2009) on hotels as civic landmarks and in particular their central role in the development of inner cities.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 99.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 129.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Western International Hotels subsequently was rebranded as Westin International Hotels in 1981.

References

  • Adu-Ampong, E. (2019). Historical trajectories of tourism development policies and planning in Ghana, 1957–2017. Tourism Planning and Development, 16(2), 124–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Andersson, I. (2012). Hotels as flagship buildings: Emerging economies in small towns. In L. Smas (Ed.), Hotel spaces: Urban and economic geographical perspectives on hotels and hotel developments (pp. 19–37). Stockholm: Stockholm University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Benjamin, A. (1979). Lost Johannesburg. Johannesburg: Macmillan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowie, D. (2018). Innovation and 19th century hotel industry evolution. Tourism Management, 64, 314–323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Browett, J. G., & Fair, T. J. D. (1974). South Africa 1870–1970: A view of the spatial system. South African Geographical Journal, 56(2), 111–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler, R. W. (2015). The evolution of tourism and tourism research. Tourism Recreation Research, 40(1), 16–27.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Carlton Hotel. (1980). Carlton Hotel. Johannesburg: Thomson Publications.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cebeci, O. (no date). Colonial hotels revisited: Situating Shanghai’s Park Hotel (1931–1934) and its “native” patrons within a history of western-style comfort, luxury and distinction in Asia. Unpublished paper, Princeton University, Princeton NJ, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cirer-Costa, J. C. (2012). The beginnings of tourism in Majorca 1937–1914. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(4), 1779–1796.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cole, M. (1988). Room in the inn: The story of Johannesburg hotels. Johannesburg: Poplar Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Erickson, C. (2003). Collusion, crime, and the death of downtown: A study of firm relocation in Johannesburg, South Africa. Master’s dissertation in city planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ferrario, F. F. (1978). An evaluation of the tourist resources of South Africa. Cape Town: University of Cape Town. Department of Geography Publication No. 1.

    Google Scholar 

  • Financial Mail (Johannesburg newspaper) 29 October 1965; 10 March 1978; 29 February 1980; 12 December 1980; 13 March 1981; 20 March 1981; 10 June 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goga, S. (2004). Property investors and decentralization: A case of false competition. In R. Tomlinson, R. Beauregard, L. Bremner, & X. Mangcu (Eds.), Emerging Johannesburg: Perspectives on the post-apartheid city (pp. 87–98). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goh, D. P. S. (2010). Capital and the transfiguring monumentality of Raffles Hotel. Mobilities, 5(2), 177–195.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes, L. (1983). Johannesburg the cosmopolitan city. Johannesburg: Delta Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hunter, R., Jonker, M., Rogerson, J., Rogerson, C., & Tomlinson, R. (1995). Johannesburg inner-city strategic development framework: Economic analysis. Unpublished Report for the City Planning Department, Greater Johannesburg Transitional Metropolitan Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • James, K. J. (2018). Histories, meanings and representations of the modern hotel. Bristol: Channel View.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • James, K. J., Sandoval-Strausz, A. K., Maudlin, D., Peleggi, M., Humair, C., & Berger, M. W. (2017). The hotel in history: Evolving perspectives. Journal of Tourism History, 9(1), 92–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johannesburg Publicity Association. (1959). Johannesburg hotel guide. Johannesburg: Johannesburg Publicity Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Magombo, A., Rogerson, C. M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2017). Accommodation services for competitive tourism in sub-Saharan Africa: Historical evidence from Malawi. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 38, 73–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • McNeill, D. (2008). The hotel and the city. Progress in Human Geography, 32(3), 383–398.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeill, D., & McNamara, K. (2009). Hotels as civic landmarks, hotels as assets: The case of Sydney’s Hilton. Australian Geographer, 40(3), 369–386.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McNeill, D., & McNamara, K. (2012). The life and death of great hotels: A building biography of Sydney’s ‘The Australia’. Transactions Institute of British Geographers, 37(1), 149–163.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murray, M. J. (2011). City of extremes: The spatial politics of Johannesburg. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Norval, A. J. (1936). The tourist industry: A national and international survey. London: Sir Isaac Pitman.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pandy, W., & Rogerson, C. M. (2013). An historical overview of the establishment of timeshare recreation accommodation in South Africa. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 19(Supplement 2), 105–121.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peleggi, M. (2005). Consuming colonial nostalgia: The monumentalism of historic hotels in urban South-East Asia. Asia-Pacific Viewpoint, 46, 255–265.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peleggi, M. (2012). The social and material life of colonial hotels: Comfort zones as contact zones in British Colombo and Singapore, ca 1870–1930. Journal of Social History, 46(1), 124–153.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rand Daily Mail (Johannesburg newspaper) 1 January 1964; 27 September 1964; 14 August 1967; 22 November 1972; 14 December 1972; 14 August 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M. (1996). Image enhancement and local economic development in Johannesburg. Urban Forum, 7(2), 139–158.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M. (2003). Changing casino tourism in South Africa. Africa Insight, 33, 142–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M. (2011). From liquor to leisure: The changing South African hotel industry 1928–1968. Urban Forum, 22, 379–394.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M. (2015). Restructuring the geography of domestic tourism in South Africa. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 29, 119–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M. (2019). Business tourism under apartheid: The historical development of South Africa’s conference industry. Urbani izziv, 30(Supplement), 82–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Kaplan, L. (2005). Tourism promotion in ‘difficult areas’: The experience of Johannesburg inner-city. Urban Forum, 16(2–3), 214–243.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2018). The evolution of hotels in Johannesburg 1890–1948: A case of historical urban tourism. GeoJournal of Tourism and Geosites, 23(3), 732–738.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, C. M., & Rogerson, J. M. (2019). Historical urban tourism: Developmental challenges in Johannesburg 1920–1950. Urbani izziv, 30(Supplement), 112–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2013). The changing accommodation landscape of Free State, 1936–2010: A case of tourism geography. African Journal for Physical, Health Education, Recreation and Dance, 19(Supplement 2), 86–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2014). Hotel location in Africa’s world class city: The case of Johannesburg, South Africa. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 25, 181–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2016). Tourism geographies of the past: The uneven rise and fall of beach apartheid in South Africa. In R. Donaldson, G. Visser, J. Kemp & J. de Waal (Eds.), #Celebrateacenturyofgeography: Proceedings of the Centenary Conference of the Society of South African Geographers (pp. 212–218). Stellenbosch: Society of South African Geographers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2017). ‘Kicking sand in the face of apartheid’: Segregated beaches in South Africa. Bulletin of Geography: Socio-Economic Series, 35, 93–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogerson, J. M. (2018). The early development of hotels in Johannesburg ca 1928–1963. African Journal of Hospitality, Tourism and Leisure, 7(4), 1–16.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal, E. (1972). Meet me at the Carlton: The story of Johannesburg’s old Carlton Hotel. Cape Town: H. B. Timmins.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saarinen, J., Rogerson, C. M., & Hall, C. M. (2017). Geographies of tourism development and planning. Tourism Geographies, 19(3), 307–317.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sarmento, J., & Linehan, D. (2018). The colonial hotel: Spacing violence at the Grande Hotel, Beira, Mozambique. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 37(2), 276–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, B. C. (2018). Revolution at the hotel: Panama and luxury travel in the age of decolonisation. Journal of Tourism History, 10(2), 146–164.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smas, L. (2012). Hotels in the city and cities in the hotel: Production of consumption spaces and urban life. In L. Smas (Ed.), Hotel spaces: Urban and economic geographical perspectives on hotels and hotel developments (pp. 73–80). Stockholm: Stockholm University.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smas, L., & Hermelin, B. (2012). Hotels and their urban and economic geographies. In L. Smas (Ed.), Hotel spaces: Urban and economic geographical perspectives on hotels and hotel developments (pp. 7–10). Stockholm: Stockholm University.

    Google Scholar 

  • South African Railways and Harbours. (1938). Illustrated guide to hotels and boarding houses, 1938. Pretoria: Government Printer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sunday Express (Johannesburg newspaper) 5 July 1964; 22 October 1972; 23 March 1980; 11 March 1982.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sunday Times (Johannesburg newspaper) 16 December 1962; 31 December 1963; 26 April 1964; 14 August1967; 24 September 1972; 3 August 1980; 19 April 1981; 4 August 1985; 4 May 1986; 10 August 1986.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Citizen (Johannesburg newspaper) 22 February 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Hotel Guide Association. (1965). Guide to the hotels of South Africa and adjacent territories. Johannesburg: The Hotel Guide Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Star (Johannesburg newspaper) 9 November 1965; 30 January 1973.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timothy, D. J. (2012). Historical geographies of tourism. In J. Wilson (Ed.), The Routledge handbook of tourism geographies (pp. 157–162). London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timothy, D. J., & Teye, V. B. (2009). Tourism and the lodging sector. London: Butterworth-Heinemann.

    Google Scholar 

  • Timothy, D. J., & Wall, G. (1995). Tourist accommodation in an Asian historic city. Journal of Tourism Studies, 6, 63–73.

    Google Scholar 

  • van Onselen, C. (1982). Studies in the social and economic history of the Witwatersrand. Johannesburg: Ravan Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Walker, G. S. (1977). The history of the South African hotel industry with special reference to the role of the hotel board. Unpublished dissertation, National Diploma in Hotel Management, The Hotel School, Johannesburg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolpe, H. (1972). Capitalism and cheap labour power in South Africa: From segregation to apartheid. Economy and Society, 1, 253–285.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Thanks to the two reviewers. An earlier version of this paper was presented at the Annual Meeting, Association of American Geographers, Washington DC, April 2019. Thanks to James Gregory for his photograph of the Carlton Centre and Carlton Hotel.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Tourism and Hospitality, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Jayne M. Rogerson

Authors
  1. Jayne M. Rogerson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jayne M. Rogerson .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Jayne M. Rogerson

  2. Stellenbosch University , Stellenbosch, South Africa

    Gustav Visser

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Rogerson, J.M. (2020). Johannesburg’s Iconic Hotels: The Life and Death of the Two Carltons. In: Rogerson, J., Visser, G. (eds) New Directions in South African Tourism Geographies. Geographies of Tourism and Global Change. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29377-2_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-29377-2_4

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-29376-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-29377-2

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation