The Royal Portfolio grew from Liz and Phil Biden's decision to open their private safari home, Royal Malewane, to guests in 1999. The family subsequently added La Residence in the Franschhoek winelands, Birkenhead House on the Hermanus coast and The Silo in Cape Town's V&A Waterfront, creating one of South Africa's most distinctive owner-led luxury collections. By August 2026 the portfolio comprises four operating properties, all in South Africa, all still owned and personally shaped by the founding family.
The brand
The Royal Portfolio is a South African family collection in which Liz Biden's personal design voice is the unifying element. The properties share no architectural template — a Thornybush safari lodge, a winelands estate, a clifftop beach house and a grain-silo conversion — but each carries her saturated colour, art and layered interiors.
The collection is deliberately small and wholly owned. The Silo, opened in 2017 above the Zeitz MOCAA museum, gave the family an international showcase; Royal Malewane remains the safari heart, with private-vehicle game viewing and some of South Africa's most qualified guides. The brand's proposition is a complete South African journey — bush, winelands, coast and city — inside one family's houses.
Brand philosophy
The founding idea is hospitality as an extension of a private home. The Bidens opened houses they had built for themselves, and the collection retains that logic: guests are received as visitors of the family, interiors reflect one owner's taste rather than a brand manual, and general managers are empowered to host rather than administer.
Design is personal and unapologetic. Liz Biden's interiors use bold colour, African and international art and collected objects; the aesthetic is closer to an inhabited private residence than to decorated hotel space. The philosophy accepts that this voice will not suit everyone — distinctiveness is preferred to neutrality.
What distinguishes it
One family, one taste. Every property is owned by the Biden family and designed by Liz Biden personally. The collection has an author in a way that managed brands cannot reproduce.
A complete South African circuit. Bush, winelands, coast and city within one collection allow an entire journey without leaving the family's houses.
Guiding depth at Royal Malewane. The lodge is known for the qualification level of its guiding team, making the safari itself — not only the accommodation — the product.
The Silo is an architectural landmark. The grain-elevator conversion above Zeitz MOCAA gave Cape Town one of its most recognisable buildings and the collection an urban icon.
Ownership means permanence. Nothing is managed for third parties; the portfolio changes only when the family builds or buys.
The Royal Portfolio is a weak fit for travellers who want understated minimalism, brand-standard predictability or an international network. The interiors are vivid and personal; guests who prefer neutral contemporary design may find them overwhelming. It is also not a points ecosystem or a large-resort product — the houses are small, and their value lies in personality, guiding and place.
Signature houses
Competitive landscape
Editorial note — Code and book number follow LHL Register v50.0 (LHL-043 / P1-04-02, Volume IV). Portfolio and ownership checked against official The Royal Portfolio materials; reviewed August 2026.