One&Only Cape Town has been named South Africa’s leading eco-friendly hotel in the inaugural TourismX™ Eco-Friendly Hotels Index, recognising sustainability, guest experience and industry reputation.
One&Only Cape Town has claimed the top position in the first-ever TourismX™ South Africa Eco-Friendly Hotels Index, a new independent ranking recognising hotels that successfully combine environmental responsibility with exceptional guest experiences and strong industry visibility.
Released by TourismX™, the index evaluates hotels using a weighted methodology that combines verified Google guest ratings, earned editorial media coverage and share of voice to provide an independent benchmark of reputation within South Africa’s hospitality sector.
Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town secured second place, followed by Cape Grace – A Fairmont Managed Hotel, The President Hotel and Radisson RED Cape Town V&A Waterfront, which completed the top five.
The rankings aim to recognise accommodation establishments that not only deliver high-quality hospitality experiences but also demonstrate strong public recognition through independent media coverage and customer feedback.
According to TourismX™ Founder Gerrit Davids, the results highlight how sustainability and reputation are becoming increasingly interconnected within the tourism industry.
“The rankings demonstrate that South Africa’s leading eco-friendly hotels are combining exceptional guest experiences with strong editorial media visibility, reinforcing their reputation as leaders in sustainable hospitality,” said Davids.
The inaugural index also recognised outstanding performance across individual categories.
Grootbos Private Nature Reserve received the highest Google guest rating with a score of 4.8, while Hyde Johannesburg Rosebank also achieved a 4.8 rating to earn silver recognition. One&Only Cape Town secured bronze in the guest ratings category with a score of 4.7.
Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town dominated media visibility, recording 245 editorial media mentions between July 2025 and June 2026 while also achieving the highest share of voice at 36.9%. Cape Grace – A Fairmont Managed Hotel and The President Hotel completed the top three in both media visibility categories.
The remaining hotels recognised in the inaugural index include The Peech Hotel, Hyde Johannesburg Rosebank, Hilton Garden Inn Umhlanga Arch, The Vineyard, Cape Town Marriott Hotel Crystal Towers, Grootbos Private Nature Reserve, Oude Werf Hotel, Ghost Mountain Inn & Safaris, Montagu Country Hotel, Cape St. Francis Resort, Century City Hotel Urban Square, !Khwa ttu Nature Reserve, Spier Wine Farm, De Zeekoe and Coffee Shack Backpackers & Surf School.
Davids said the TourismX™ Eco-Friendly Hotels Index is designed to provide travellers, tourism organisations, investors and hospitality stakeholders with an independent measure of hotel reputation by combining verified customer sentiment with earned media performance.
Future editions of the index will expand to include additional eco-certified accommodation establishments and introduce new sector-specific tourism rankings.
