Marble has come to define Joburg’s big-space, big energy dining scene – a bold, theatrical expression of the city’s aspirational spirit. It has helped shaped the social lexicon of upper-end dining in the City of Gold, and now the brand is extending that ambition into hospitality with its first hotel.
The restaurant embodies a distinctly urban Johannesburg pulse: sophisticated yet buzzing, luxe yet unpretentious. And while Cape Town is experiencing a wave of new restaurant openings, it’s telling that the group is doubling down on Jozi, where its story began almost a decade ago.
Chef David Higgs, together with Gary Kyriacou, Dino Constantinou and Irene Kyriacou, opened Marble Rosebank. Since then, Marble Hospitality has evolved into a multi-concept group: a second Marble restaurant at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town; the upscale, New-York style Italian restaurant Saint in Joburg; and Zioux, their high-gloss lounge bar next door in Sandton’s financial district. The Pantry by Marble – their gourmet-grocer-meets-forecourt convenience experience – has become something of a phenomenon. With branches in Rosebank and Centurion and ten more on the way, it has redefined premium convenience retail in South Africa.
The group has also moved into experiential culture with Marble Circus, a two-day festival that blends food, music, fashion, art and theatre.
Now comes their first hotel, developed in partnership with Tricolt Group as part of the Olympus Sandton project. The building will house a Marble Restaurant on the 18th floor – offering 360-degree views – and a Pantry by Marble at street level in Athena tower.
A mixed-use development by Growthpoint Properties and Tricolt, Olympus Sandton is located beside the Discovery head office, and valued at R1.736-billion. More than R1.2-billion in apartments sold within days of launch. The development comprises two residential towers with 536 units, from executive suites and one-and two-bed apartments starting at R1.49-million to penthouses priced at R45-million. For the first time, award-winning designer Tristan du Plessis will work with Marble on one of their developments.
The hotel itself will occupy two floors of Tower 2 (Apollo), just below the penthouses, and will feature 32 rooms along with the new Marble restaurant. For the interiors, Marble’s design director Irene Kyriacou will collaborate with Du Plessis. Kyriacou has long led the design direction (in partnership with Grid Worldwide) of the group’s properties. Think lively, high-impact lobbies; restaurants as social stages; hotels as intimate extension of the brand.
For founder and partner Gary Kyriacou, the hotel marks the next evolution in the Marble vision – a move to redefine luxury accommodation in South Africa, building on a brand already synonymous with premium dining in Johannesburg and Cape Town.
Since opening in 2016, Marble has become a fixture in Joburg’s dining culture and consistently appearing on the city’s most-desired lists. Olympus Sandton, designed by ClarkeHopkinsClarke and dhk Architects, features sculptural curved facades, premium retail and dining spaces. With construction now underway, completion is projected for late 2027.