The roots of the Gooderson Leisure Corporation were established in 1957, when Mr R H Gooderson father of AW Gooderson acquired the first of his hotels in Durban; the Lonsdale Hotel situated at 57 West Street, one block from the beachfront through the acquisition of a number of hotels, the company grew from one hotel to thirteen hotels in 1970.

The Drakensberg Gardens Resort was acquired in 1967, allowing the company to provide tourists with a variety of holiday options. The company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1968 Gooderson Hotels Limited (‘Goodtel’).