Bheki Dube is redefining the artwork of shuffle back and forth in South Africa. His stir began on the streets of Johannesburg, the put he was raised by a grandmother whose tales about Africa lit up his imagination.
Those early days listening to her brilliant tales sparked something extremely effective in Bheki—something that may maybe perchance presumably later pressure him to blend his savor for shuffle back and forth, culture, and folk into Curiocity, his hybrid resort chain that’s making waves across the continent.
Bheki Dube didn’t put of abode out to originate upright another resort. He envisioned something more—a condominium the put travelers may maybe perchance presumably basically expertise the essence of a city, no longer upright shuffle thru it.
Positioned in the heart of Johannesburg’s Maboneng district, Curiocity Joburg isn’t your similar outdated accommodation. With its bike-pleasant originate air areas, brilliant rooftop bar, communal workspaces, and artsy environment, Curiocity pulses with the energy of the local culture. It’s a space the put digital nomads, tourists, and locals reach together, no longer upright to halt, however to connect.
A vision rooted in storytelling
It began with storytelling. Rising up, Dube’s grandmother would beget his world with tales of African heritage, tales that stuck with him as he pursued a career as a strolling tour manual.
“As a long way as I will also be conscious, my grandma would justify all these tales of Africa,” Dube says. “And it’s about continuing with that legacy—how accomplish I utilize Curiocity as a vehicle to piece the innate tales of Africa?”
Curiocity isn’t upright a resort chain; it’s a living, breathing fable of the cities it inhabits. Every property, whether in Johannesburg or Cape Town, invites guests to expertise the city previous their resort room. Curated actions—love sunrise hikes and adventure excursions—are designed to immerse travelers in the culture, whereas the artwork, decor, and even the furnishings justify tales of the local folk.
Breaking mute Ground in African hospitality
When Bheki Dube launched the first Curiocity at upright 21 years mild, hybrid accommodations had been unheard of on the continent. His thought, which was a blend of dilapidated accommodations, co-living, and co-working areas, was a daring transfer. However with boldness comes challenges.
“We’re no longer usually born accurate into a wealth of psychological property the put our oldsters are discussing exchange and offers. I wasn’t born into that,” Dube reflects. “It’s a project to rise above the arena quo and make this psychological property.”
The avenue to securing investors wasn’t easy, either. Dube had to level to to funders that his thought was more than upright a niche thought—it was the future of hospitality.
“Funding instruments are very narrow-minded. They simplest are searching out for to fund former products,” Dube explains. “Raising capital for mute markets in hospitality and shuffle back and forth was slightly a project.”
Serene, Dube’s ardour and unwavering belief in his vision saved him vigorous forward. At the present time, Curiocity has expanded previous Johannesburg, with properties in Cape Town and a rising presence across South Africa. And it’s upright the initiating.
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Areas that justify tales
Step into any Curiocity space, and you’ll spy how deeply storytelling is woven into the cloth of every condominium. At Green Level in Cape Town, as an illustration, a putting mural by South African artist Atang Chikare welcomes guests with its intricate assemble.
Titled Removed from Home, the mural speaks to the experiences of global travelers discovering a sense of belonging, no subject the put they reach from. “Curiocity is home to many global electorate that halt with us,” Dube explains. “When folk reach to halt, they’re no longer upright checking accurate into a resort—they’re coming into a neighborhood.”
Curiocity’s collaboration with local artists and creatives is a key phase of its DNA. In 2024, the resort chain partnered with the Worldwide Public Art Competition in Cape Town, hosting 20 artists and activating avenue artwork excursions. This piquant fusion of hospitality and artwork permits guests to expertise South Africa’s ingenious pulse firsthand.
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Bheki Dube doesn’t upright desire guests to feel exclusively satisfied—he wishes them to feel at home. Whether it’s the local literature sourced from Cape Town’s Chimurenga or the communal areas designed for interaction, Curiocity is all about fostering exact connections.
“We would bear gone to any bookstall, however we chose to spotlight fundamental areas and folk internal Cape Town, especially from the Dusky perspective,” Dube says.
Curiocity’s dedication to local culture runs deep, extending to its partnerships with furnishings makers and artisans who carry the spirit of the city into every room. It’s this dedication to authenticity that sets Curiocity aside in an exchange the put luxurious often overshadows culture.
Rising across Africa
As Dube appears forward, his ambitions for Curiocity stretch across the African continent. Over the subsequent 5 years, he plans to amplify into key cities, connecting the dots from Cape to Cairo and Morocco to Madagascar.
His dream is to assemble a network of hybrid accommodations that replicate the diversity and richness of African culture, offering immersive experiences to travelers from all over the world.
“We are searching out for to position Curiocity as a leading shuffle back and forth price in Africa,” Dube says. “It’s all about connection—connecting folk, locations, and tales.”
For Bheki Dube, this isn’t upright exchange—it’s a calling. A calling to bear an even time the beauty of Africa, to piece its tales, and to originate areas that feel love home, no subject how a long way from home you’re.
