When it comes to the wealthy, you know you have arrived when you can add a five star luxury hotel penthouse to your property portfolio, says Seeff Atlantic Seaboard managing director Ian Slot. The rich and famous not only stay in luxury hotels around the world, but are increasingly adding ownership of hotel suites to their property portfolios.

Francis Ford Coppola recently added a fifth hotel (the Palazzo Margherita in Italy) to his property portfolio while Donatella Versace owns the famous Palazzo Versace on Queensland's Main Beach in Australia. U2’s Bono entertains guests in the Penthouse Suite of his Clarence Hotel in Dublin. Sir Richard Branson is another hotel collector with a private island, Moroccan and Swiss Mountain Retreats and the Ulusaba Private Game Reserve in the Kruger National Park in his portfolio.

While privacy and security are important considerations, exclusivity and luxury five-star, on-demand service and amenities add to the allure of hotel suite ownership, says agent Emelia van der Linde. It offers a secure place to stay, host friends, guest and business associates and serves as a convenient base for business travellers, she adds.

The concept of hotel suite ownership was boosted with the arrival of top international-standard hotels such as the Sol Kerzner’s One & Only in Cape Town where Seeff sold a suite for R110-million; the highest price ever paid for a residential property in the country. Amongst the exclusive new arrivals was the R400-million, 20-storey Pepperclub in Cape Town’s CBD, owned by Solomon Brothers Property Holdings.

Designed by MLB Architects and with New York-inspired interiors done by Les Harbottle, the hotel was voted Best Luxury Hotel in South Africa by CNN Traveller. Its exclusive, double-storey penthouse suite is believed to be the largest and most lavish in the southern hemisphere and is now on the market for R30-million.

Few apartments compare with this property, says van der Linde.

It occupies the top two floors of the building with almost 800m² of space, wrap around terraces, a sundeck and private swimming pool and breathtaking city, mountain and sea views. The double-volume space includes two lounges, a dining room, open-plan kitchen, guest cloakroom, a luxurious master bedroom suite with a dressing area and en-suite bathroom and two further bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms.

The finishes and furnishings are ultra-luxurious and include extra-length king-size beds, televisions in all rooms, heating and air-conditioning, electronic safes, wireless internet and a mini bar in each bedroom.

Article continues on page two: more on this stunning apartment at the foot of Table Mountain...