In July 2025, hospitality technology provider Hop expanded its operations into South Africa, opening a new office in Cape Town. The move introduces the company’s innovative solutions to a vibrant new territory and is an exciting time for the team, which has welcomed new staff to support its nationwide operations.
To provide insight into this strategic move, the COO of Hop, Sharon Smith, discussed the expansion in more detail.
Q. Why has Hop decided to move into South Africa?
A. The South African hospitality market is vibrant, growing, and increasingly open to technological adoption. The strong tourism sector, bolstered by robust local travel, creates a pressing need for the automated reservation and channel management solutions that Hop provides.
Crucially, many hotels are now actively seeking to migrate from inefficient manual processes and legacy systems to integrated, cloud-based PMS platforms. This presents a clear opportunity for Hop to introduce its user-friendly and cost-effective system to a market eager to enhance operational efficiency and modernise the guest experience.
Q. What are the business connections with the country?
A. Our connections to South Africa are both professional and personal. Two of Hop’s co-founders, Jon Erasmus and Richard Drummond, have other business interests in the country, while Jon and our third co-founder, Ronald Tweedie, are native South Africans. They have always planned to bring Hop to their home country. With these deep-rooted connections, now was the right time to launch.
Q. Why did you decide to open an office in Cape Town?
A. Cape Town is emerging as a leading tech hub in Africa, attracting significant investment and talent. Its collaborative environment and robust hospitality industry make it the ideal city for Hop to be based in.
Q. How will the South African operation work with the other Hop offices?
A. The South African operation will work closely with our team in the UK. With only a one or two-hour time difference, both teams can collaborate daily, leveraging the strengths of each location to achieve our business objectives.
Q. What are the ultimate goals for the South African operation?
A. Our primary goal is to establish Hop as a leading PMS provider in South Africa. We aim to revolutionise hotel operations by providing a comprehensive, efficient, and guest-centric management system. Starting with our initial team, we will gain market traction and scale our operations, with a long-term vision of market leadership and contributing to the local tech ecosystem.
Q. What are the plans to introduce Hop to South Africa?
A. Our strategy involves leveraging the local expertise of our Cape Town team, led by Business Development Manager Teboho Ntsiane. Through industry networking, hospitality events, and focused digital campaigns, we will effectively announce Hop’s arrival to the hospitality sector.
To discover how Hop and its all-in-one property management system can modernise your operations and enhance profitability, contact the team to schedule your personalised demonstration today.
