Durban’s Golden Mile is set for another major boost, with Southern Sun officially beginning its R250 million makeover of the iconic Southern Sun Elangeni & Maharani Hotel. The extensive renovation forms part of the continued revival of Durban’s beachfront and will see South Africa’s largest hotel transformed over the next three years while remaining open to guests. A new look for one of Durban’s best-known hotelsThe 734-room hotel, which dominates Durban’s beachfront skyline, was originally built as two separate towers by legendary hotelier Sol Kerzner in the 1970s before being combined into a single hotel in 2012. At the time, eThekwini Municipality said the agreement would unlock around R1 billion in investment across Southern Sun’s beachfront hotel portfolio over several years. The Elangeni & Maharani is Southern Sun’s largest hotel in South Africa and one of four properties the group owns along Durban’s beachfront.