Afrigather Bheki Dube is redefining the artwork of journey in South Africa. His journey began on the streets of Johannesburg, the place he was raised by a grandmother whose tales about Africa lit up his creativeness.
These early days listening to her vivid tales sparked one thing highly effective in Bheki—one thing that may later drive him to mix his love for journey, tradition, and folks into Curiocity, his hybrid resort chain that’s making waves throughout the continent.
Bheki Dube didn’t got down to construct simply one other resort. He envisioned one thing extra—an area the place vacationers may really expertise the essence of a metropolis, not simply cross by way of it.
Positioned within the coronary heart of Johannesburg’s Maboneng district, Curiocity Joburg isn’t your typical lodging. With its bike-friendly out of doors areas, vibrant rooftop bar, communal workspaces, and artsy environment, Curiocity pulses with the power of the native tradition. It’s a spot the place digital nomads, vacationers, and locals come collectively, not simply to remain, however to attach.
A imaginative and prescient rooted in storytelling
It began with storytelling. Rising up, Dube’s grandmother would fill his world with tales of African heritage, tales that caught with him as he pursued a profession as a strolling tour information.
“So far as I can bear in mind, my grandma would inform all these tales of Africa,” Dube says. “And it’s about persevering with with that legacy—how do I take advantage of Curiocity as a automobile to share the innate tales of Africa?”
Curiocity isn’t only a resort chain; it’s a dwelling, respiration narrative of the cities it inhabits. Every property, whether or not in Johannesburg or Cape City, invitations company to expertise town past their resort room. Curated actions—like dawn hikes and journey excursions—are designed to immerse vacationers within the tradition, whereas the artwork, decor, and even the furnishings inform tales of the area people.
Breaking new Floor in African hospitality
When Bheki Dube launched the primary Curiocity at simply 21 years outdated, hybrid inns had been remarkable on the continent. His idea, which was a mix of conventional inns, co-living, and co-working areas, was a daring transfer. However with boldness comes challenges.
“We’re not sometimes born right into a wealth of mental property the place our mother and father are discussing enterprise and offers. I wasn’t born into that,” Dube displays. “It’s a problem to rise above the established order and develop this mental property.”
The highway to securing buyers wasn’t straightforward, both. Dube needed to show to funders that his concept was greater than only a area of interest idea—it was the way forward for hospitality.
“Funding devices are very narrow-minded. They solely wish to fund mature merchandise,” Dube explains. “Elevating capital for brand new markets in hospitality and journey was fairly a problem.”
Nonetheless, Dube’s ardour and unwavering perception in his imaginative and prescient stored him transferring ahead. At present, Curiocity has expanded past Johannesburg, with properties in Cape City and a rising presence throughout South Africa. And it’s only the start.
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Areas that inform tales
Step into any Curiocity location, and also you’ll see how deeply storytelling is woven into the material of every house. At Inexperienced Level in Cape City, as an illustration, a putting mural by South African artist Atang Chikare welcomes company with its intricate design.
Titled Removed from House, the mural speaks to the experiences of worldwide vacationers discovering a way of belonging, regardless of the place they arrive from. “Curiocity is house to many international residents that stick with us,” Dube explains. “When folks come to remain, they’re not simply checking right into a resort—they’re getting into a neighborhood.”
Curiocity’s collaboration with native artists and creatives is a key a part of its DNA. In 2024, the resort chain partnered with the Worldwide Public Artwork Competition in Cape City, internet hosting 20 artists and activating road artwork excursions. This distinctive fusion of hospitality and artwork permits company to expertise South Africa’s inventive pulse firsthand.
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Bheki Dube doesn’t simply need company to really feel comfy—he desires them to really feel at house. Whether or not it’s the native literature sourced from Cape City’s Chimurenga or the communal areas designed for interplay, Curiocity is all about fostering real connections.
“We may have gone to any bookstore, however we selected to spotlight important areas and folks inside Cape City, particularly from the Black perspective,” Dube says.
Curiocity’s dedication to native tradition runs deep, extending to its partnerships with furnishings makers and artisans who deliver the spirit of town into every room. It’s this dedication to authenticity that units Curiocity aside in an trade the place luxurious usually overshadows tradition.
Increasing throughout Africa
As Dube seems forward, his ambitions for Curiocity stretch throughout the African continent. Over the following 5 years, he plans to develop into key cities, connecting the dots from Cape to Cairo and Morocco to Madagascar.
His dream is to create a community of hybrid inns that replicate the range and richness of African tradition, providing immersive experiences to vacationers from all around the world.
“We wish to place Curiocity as a number one journey model in Africa,” Dube says. “It’s all about connection—connecting folks, locations, and tales.”
For Bheki Dube, this isn’t simply enterprise—it’s a calling. A calling to rejoice the fantastic thing about Africa, to share its tales, and to construct areas that really feel like house, regardless of how removed from house you might be.
