Our History

In line with their father’s vision, brothers Graham and David Rawdon started building the Rawdons Hotel in June 1954, mainly to provide accommodation for the parents of a nearby boarding school, Michaelhouse. The hotel eventually took 2 years to complete and opened in 1956. The 50-acre site where Rawdons is situated in Nottingham Road was sold at £50 per acre – it was bare veld with barely a tree in sight. Whilst Graham was finishing his 4th year studies at the famous Hotel School in Lausanne, Switzerland – David was tasked (along with Ephram the gardener, who had been employed by Mrs Rawdon since he was 13 years old) to plant the gardens and trees prior to the building taking place.

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Interestingly there were very few en suite rooms in those days, a private bathroom attached to your bedroom would set you back R2 whereas a standard room only R1.75. So it was quite a normal occurrence for robed guests to greet each other in the passage on their way to enjoy a bath in the shared facilities. One could choose to take a weekly rate and stay for the princely sum of R34 for the entire week. It was only when the hotel decided to go for star grading in the ‘80s that they then had to undergo the first of a number of facelifts, resulting in each room having a private bathroom. Back then lunch and dinner cost R1 and breakfast was only 50c.

Mrs Rawdon’s place of home was Suite 23, a lavish room with a lounge on the 1st floor. Her spirit still lives strong through her gentle touch, which she applied to the décor of the hotel and to preparing many a meal for her guests. The hotel was revamped and upgraded in 2011 with keen attention to detail whilst keeping many of the timeless treasures, adding only a touch of graceful yet contemporary style with all the modern comforts that one expects to find in the 21st century.

The hotel was sold to Don and Wendy Attwood in 1966, at which point David Rawdon had already spent considerable time down in the Cape converting the wine farm Lanzerac, in Stellenbosch, into a gracious country hotel. This he subsequently sold in 1988 after purchasing the entire village of Matjiesfontein, becoming the second Laird to the small town. The Marine in Hermanus was also one of his accomplishments – a visionary hotelier.

Don and Wendy Attwood handed over Rawdons Hotel to their daughter Susan and her husband Peter Dean in 1991.

So, there is a little bit of History: Rawdons – Family run since 1956. And speaking of family, many of you will know of George Subramanien, who was employed by Rawdons for over 60 years, along with his family members Rose and Amanda. He sadly passed away in 2019. He provided incredible service and became an institution of his own – true Rawdons loyalty.

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In September of 2023, Sue and Peter Dean handed over the management of the Hotel and Brewery to Terry Sterling and Kees Grinwis. A new chapter for the Grande Dame of the Midlands!