Jolie-Pitt hideaway sold to United Africa Group

THE Burning Shore lodge at Langstrand – which tasted overnight fame earlier this year when Hollywood celebrities Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt chose it as their nesting place for the birth of their first child – was sold to the United Africa Group (UAG) this week.

The management contract was awarded to Protea Hotels Namibia. The deal was signed on Wednesday between the previous owner, Gunther Heimstadt, and Haddis Tilahun of UAG in Windhoek.The sale of the Burning Shore came in the wake of an unsuccessful auction held in Cape Town earlier this year.Subsequently, Heimstadt approached the Protea Hotel Group to manage the business after he had parted ways with the former management company in South Africa.”We have purchased the Burning Shore in accordance with the development strategy of the United Africa Group, of acquiring well-located units for tourism and all business across the country,” said Brian Rubinstein, Group CEO of UAG.The Burning Shore will be managed from today by Graham Howard, Protea Hotels Namibia Regional Manager.Heimstadt said because of his fulltime involvement with running hunting lodges in the North, he was struggling with efficient management teams to run the hotel.”I am extremely happy that it is in good hands,” said Heimstadt.”Of course I am sorry to part with it, because personally I put a lot of work into building it up and loved the place.But I have enjoyed my peak and had the privilege of hosting one of the world’s most famous Hollywood couples, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.”Now I am handing it over to professionals who I am confident will keep up my high standards, and hopefully attract more celebrities to this beautiful part of the world.The Burning Shore is the sixth UAG-owned hotel to be managed by Protea Hotels Namibia.The others are the Hotel Furstenhof in Windhoek, Pelican Bay Hotel in Walvis Bay, Sea-View Hotel Zum Sperrgebiet in Luederitz, Pandu Ondangwa Lodge and Zambezi LodgeThe deal was signed on Wednesday between the previous owner, Gunther Heimstadt, and Haddis Tilahun of UAG in Windhoek.The sale of the Burning Shore came in the wake of an unsuccessful auction held in Cape Town earlier this year.Subsequently, Heimstadt approached the Protea Hotel Group to manage the business after he had parted ways with the former management company in South Africa.”We have purchased the Burning Shore in accordance with the development strategy of the United Africa Group, of acquiring well-located units for tourism and all business across the country,” said Brian Rubinstein, Group CEO of UAG.The Burning Shore will be managed from today by Graham Howard, Protea Hotels Namibia Regional Manager.Heimstadt said because of his fulltime involvement with running hunting lodges in the North, he was struggling with efficient management teams to run the hotel.”I am extremely happy that it is in good hands,” said Heimstadt.”Of course I am sorry to part with it, because personally I put a lot of work into building it up and loved the place.But I have enjoyed my peak and had the privilege of hosting one of the world’s most famous Hollywood couples, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.”Now I am handing it over to professionals who I am confident will keep up my high standards, and hopefully attract more celebrities to this beautiful part of the world.The Burning Shore is the sixth UAG-owned hotel to be managed by Protea Hotels Namibia.The others are the Hotel Furstenhof in Windhoek, Pelican Bay Hotel in Walvis Bay, Sea-View Hotel Zum Sperrgebiet in Luederitz, Pandu Ondangwa Lodge and Zambezi Lodge