Carlton Hotel
A landmark Johannesburg hotel whose original 1906 property and later Carlton Centre tower became symbols of the city's commercial prominence and political history.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Carlton Hotel refers to a historic Johannesburg hotel associated with two successive properties in the city's Central Business District. The first Carlton Hotel opened in 1906 at the corner of Eloff Street and Commissioner Street. Conceived in the late nineteenth century by mining magnate Barney Barnato, it was developed after his death by his heirs and the Barnato-Joel Mining Company. The six-storey building was promoted as a leading luxury hotel for southern Africa, offering unusually modern amenities for its era, including telephones in every room and an early form of air conditioning. It became an important venue for prominent visitors and hosted King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and the future Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret during the royal visit to South Africa in 1947. The original building was demolished in 1963. The replacement Carlton was developed as the hotel component of the Carlton Centre, a vast mixed-use project assembled by South African Breweries and Anglo American on a large site around Main and Kruis streets. The complex was conceived as a South African counterpart to major international urban commercial centres and included a skyscraper, offices, retail space, underground shopping, parking, exhibition facilities, and the new hotel. Designed by Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Johannesburg-based Rhodes-Harrison Hoffe and Partners, the Carlton Centre became one of the country's most ambitious modernist developments. Anglo American acquired South African Breweries' interest while construction was under way. The second Carlton Hotel opened to guests on October 1, 1972, and held its formal opening later that year. Western International Hotels managed the property and held a minority ownership interest. The thirty-storey hotel operated as a five-star establishment and was widely regarded as one of South Africa's premier hotels. Its Three Ships restaurant gained a strong local reputation, while the hotel attracted international politicians, entertainers, business leaders, and other public figures. A 63-room annex, Carlton Court, opened across Kruis Street in 1982 and was linked to the main property by a skybridge. The hotel's history was closely connected with South Africa's apartheid-era politics, labor disputes, international isolation, and transition to democracy. It hosted business and government gatherings, negotiations involving anti-apartheid actors, labor talks, peace-process meetings, and major political celebrations. These events included the 1976 discussions that led to the Urban Foundation, the 1979 Carlton Conference, negotiations during the 1987 mineworkers' strike, meetings between business leaders and African National Congress representatives in 1990, the signing of the National Peace Accord in 1991, and the African National Congress's 1994 election victory celebration. Nelson Mandela also used the hotel for several important public and private occasions. By the 1980s, apartheid-related travel restrictions, international divestment pressure, and the deteriorating Central Business District damaged the hotel's business. Corporate offices increasingly relocated to northern districts such as Sandton and Rosebank, while crime and urban decline reduced demand for rooms. The hotel recorded sustained losses and weak occupancy. Western International, later associated with the Westin brand, sold its stake in 1986 and ended its management contract in 1988. Anglo American subsequently operated the hotel independently. The main tower closed in December 1997 after substantial losses. A 1997 murder involving two hotel employees further reflected the serious security problems affecting the surrounding district. The contents were sold and reused at the Protea Hotel at Gold Reef City, including a recreation of the Three Ships restaurant. Carlton Court and the Koffiehuis cafe remained open briefly, but both closed in April 1998 after a proposed casino conversion failed to obtain a license. Anglo American sold the wider Carlton Centre complex to Transnet in 1999. The office and retail portions continued operating, while the hotel tower remained vacant, although it has periodically been used for events, filming, and product launches. The hotel is therefore no longer an operating accommodation business, but its building and historical associations remain part of Johannesburg's architectural, commercial, and political heritage.
History
The Carlton name in Johannesburg originated with a luxury hotel planned in the 1890s by mining entrepreneur Barney Barnato. Construction was delayed by Barnato's death and the Boer War, and the project was eventually completed by his heirs through the Barnato-Joel Mining Company. The six-storey first Carlton Hotel opened on February 20, 1906, at Eloff and Commissioner streets. It was marketed as an exceptionally modern establishment, with telephones in every room and an early cooling system. Its guest list included members of the British royal family, notably the 1947 visit of King George VI, Queen Elizabeth, and Princesses Elizabeth and Margaret. The original hotel was demolished in 1963. A much larger successor emerged from plans by South African Breweries to build a replacement hotel on a former brewery site. Anglo American chairman Harry Oppenheimer persuaded the companies to expand the proposal into a major commercial complex modeled conceptually on large international urban developments. The resulting Carlton Centre occupied a consolidated superblock and combined a fifty-storey office tower, a thirty-storey hotel, department-store and underground retail space, parking, exhibition facilities, and public areas. American architect Gordon Bunshaft of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill worked with Rhodes-Harrison Hoffe and Partners of Johannesburg. Anglo American bought out South African Breweries' interest during construction. The second Carlton Hotel opened on October 1, 1972, with a formal inauguration on November 21. Western International Hotels managed the property and held an 11 percent interest. The hotel became a leading South African five-star venue, supported by the Carlton Centre's offices, retail, and entertainment facilities. The Three Ships restaurant was especially well known. Over approximately twenty-five years, the hotel hosted prominent political figures, businesspeople, entertainers, and international visitors. Carlton Court, a 63-room annex, opened in August 1982 across Kruis Street. The property also became an important setting for the country's political and social history. In November 1976, business leaders Harry Frederick Oppenheimer and Anton Rupert used the hotel for discussions that resulted in the creation of the Urban Foundation. Prime Minister P. W. Botha convened the 1979 Carlton Conference there, bringing together cabinet members, senior officials, and business leaders. The venue later hosted labor negotiations during the 1987 mineworkers' strike. In 1990, Gavin Relly organized discussions between South African business leaders and senior ANC representatives. The National Peace Accord was signed at the hotel in September 1991 by representatives of twenty-seven political organizations and governments. The Carlton continued to serve as a venue during the transition away from apartheid. Nelson Mandela held his seventy-fifth birthday celebration there in 1993, and the ANC used the hotel as its election victory headquarters in 1994. Mandela announced the election result from the Grand Ballroom on May 2, 1994. The hotel subsequently hosted Truth and Reconciliation Commission hearings concerning business and apartheid in November 1997. Other negotiations and international cultural events also took place there, including meetings connected with the end of South Africa's cultural boycott and international mediation during the early 1990s. The business deteriorated as apartheid-era isolation reduced overseas travel, while crime, urban decay, and the migration of corporate offices to Sandton and Rosebank weakened the Central Business District. The hotel operated at a loss from 1984 through 1987 and reported occupancy of only 47 percent in 1987. Western International sold its ownership interest to Anglo American in 1986 and ended its management agreement in April 1988. That same year, police arrested 245 black Carlton employees during a protest over severance expectations after the foreign operator's divestment. The main tower closed in December 1997 after Anglo American reportedly lost millions of rand during the year. A proposed conversion into a casino, backed by Malaysian and local investors, failed when the hoped-for casino license was not granted. Carlton Court and the Koffiehuis cafe closed in April 1998. Hotel contents were transferred to the Protea Hotel at Gold Reef City, where a version of the Three Ships restaurant was recreated. The Carlton Centre was sold to Transnet in 1999. Although parts of the complex remained in commercial use, the hotel tower stayed empty. It has nevertheless been used intermittently for functions, advertising and product launches, television production, and film work, including scenes for Stander and District 9.
- 1999
Carlton Centre sold to Transnet
[1]Anglo American transferred the wider complex to Transnet, which retained the office and retail portions in use.
- 1997
Main tower closes
[1]The main hotel tower closed in December after prolonged financial and urban pressures.
- 1994
ANC election victory headquarters
[1]The ANC used the hotel for its 1994 election victory celebrations, and Nelson Mandela addressed supporters there.
- 1991
National Peace Accord signed at the hotel
[1]Representatives of political organizations and governments signed the accord at the Carlton during negotiations to end apartheid-era conflict.
- 1982
Carlton Court opens
[1]A 63-room annex opened across Kruis Street with a connecting skybridge.
- 1972
Second Carlton Hotel opens
[1]The new thirty-storey hotel opened within the Carlton Centre complex.
- 1963
Original hotel demolished
[1]The first Carlton building was demolished to make way for later redevelopment.
- 1906
Original Carlton Hotel opens
[1]The first Carlton Hotel opened on February 20 at Eloff Street and Commissioner Street.
- 1895
First Carlton Hotel conceived
[1]Mining magnate Barney Barnato conceived a grand hotel project for Johannesburg.
Products and positioning
Historically positioned as a five-star landmark hotel and prestige venue in Johannesburg's Central Business District, combining luxury accommodation with prominent restaurants, conference facilities, and access to the Carlton Centre mixed-use complex.
Historic luxury hotel · 1906
Original Carlton Hotel
The first Carlton Hotel operated from 1906 until its demolition in 1963. Its six-storey building was considered one of the leading hotels in southern Africa and was notable for room telephones and an early cooling system. It attracted political and royal visitors, including the British royal family during the 1947 South African tour.
Five-star hotel · 1972
Carlton Hotel tower
The successor hotel opened in 1972 as a thirty-storey component of the Carlton Centre. It provided luxury rooms, restaurants, banquet facilities, and meeting spaces, and became a major Johannesburg venue for international guests, government meetings, political negotiations, and cultural events. The tower closed in December 1997 and has remained vacant.
Restaurant
The Three Ships
The hotel's signature restaurant was regarded as one of Johannesburg's notable dining venues during the Carlton's operating period. After the hotel closed, its furnishings were transferred to Gold Reef City, where a restaurant modeled on The Three Ships was established.
Hotel annex · 1982
Carlton Court
Carlton Court was a 63-room luxury annex opened across Kruis Street in 1982 and connected to the principal hotel by a skybridge. It continued briefly after the main tower closed, alongside the Koffiehuis cafe, but shut in April 1998.
Controversies
1997
Murder of hotel manager
Two hotel employees murdered the assistant banquet manager in June 1997 after he found them drinking while on duty. They concealed the body in a linen room and were later sentenced to twenty-three years in prison each.
1988
Police crackdown on Carlton employee protest
In May 1988, police arrested 245 uniformed black Carlton employees who were protesting outside the hotel over severance pay expectations after Western International's withdrawal. The demonstration was broken up with batons and dogs under the Internal Security Act, attracting international attention because foreign travel agents were staying at the hotel for a tourism convention.
Brand decisions
1998
Proposed casino conversion abandonedStrategyBackground
Investors proposed converting the closed hotel into a casino and planned a major refurbishment.
Action taken
The proposal was abandoned after the project failed to secure the required casino license.
Aftermath
Carlton Court and the Koffiehuis cafe closed in April, and the wider hotel property remained unused.
1997
Main tower closureStrategyBackground
Crime, declining demand in the Central Business District, corporate relocation, and reduced international travel had made the hotel difficult to fill.
Action taken
Anglo American closed the main hotel tower in December.
Aftermath
The contents were sold or reused, staff were laid off, and the hotel remained closed despite later redevelopment proposals.
Reported annual loss. (1997)
1988
Management contract terminatedStrategyBackground
Pressure in the United States and elsewhere made continued foreign corporate ties to apartheid South Africa increasingly difficult.
Action taken
Western International terminated its management agreement on April 20, leaving Anglo American to run the hotel.
Aftermath
The change was followed by a labor protest involving Carlton employees and continued commercial pressure on the hotel.
1986
Western International sells hotel stakeStrategyBackground
International pressure for companies to divest from apartheid South Africa increased as the country's political isolation deepened.
Action taken
Western International sold its minority ownership interest in the Carlton to Anglo American.
Aftermath
Western International later ended its management contract, and Anglo American operated the property independently.
Recent events
- 1999
Carlton Centre complex sold to Transnet[1]
M&A
Anglo American sold the Carlton Centre complex to Transnet. The office and shopping components remained active, while the hotel tower stayed vacant.
- 1997
Main Carlton Hotel tower closes[1]
Bankruptcy · Other
Anglo American closed the main hotel tower in December after the Central Business District's decline, falling demand, and substantial operating losses made the property uneconomic.
- 1982
Carlton Court annex opens[1]
Product launch
A 63-room luxury annex opened across Kruis Street and was connected to the main hotel by a skybridge.
- 1972
Carlton Hotel opens as part of the Carlton Centre[1]
Other
The replacement Carlton Hotel began receiving guests in October and formally opened in November as the hotel component of Johannesburg's new Carlton Centre.
Sources1 sources
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