Q: Nico, thanks for your time. Are you seeing a lot of guests from Australia and would you like to see more?
A: Australians are actually one of my favourite guests to have. They are easy to talk to and I think we can relate a lot in terms of being South Africans and having similar likes and dislikes in life.
They love the golf courses – they play a lot of golf here – and then, of course, they enjoy the nightlife and all the daytime activities that we offer in the resort.
Q: Sun City is keen to emphasise that it’s a family-friendly destination. Does that extend to The Palace?
A: Absolutely. I think it’s important to recognise families. I’ve been at The Palace since 2011 and I’ve seen kids that were 12 years old and are now 24 or 25 and they’re here with their partners and wives or husbands. So it’s clearly important to look after the children as well because they will come back as adults.
We designed the resort in such a way and created a lot of activities like the water park, Valley of the Waves, with the jet skis and other facilities to accommodate that.
So there’s definitely something to do for all age groups. In fact, we’ve got 101 things to do on the resort.
Q: 101? Have you done them all?
A: No. There’s a zip line and I’m way too scared for that.
Q: Can’t say I blame you. Do you get a lot of repeat guests?
A: There’s obviously a generation that’s known Sun City since it opened and it is still their favourite spot even after all these years.
We’ve got international guests that have come every year religiously for the last 30 or 40 years. In fact, I spoke to some German guests this morning that I’ve known since I started here in 2011.
They come and they just know where the pools are so they relax and they read. They know the fine dining restaurants and they know what options they want to have.
And if you don’t feel like going out, it’s nice to just lie in bed and watch a good movie and enjoy some room service, which we also provide 24 hours a day.
Q: That brings me nicely on to the topic of cuisine. Is there a wide range available here?
A: Keep an eye out in the media for some news on that. We’re in talks with a Michelin star chef at the moment. He started with our Crystal Court restaurant and now he’s moving onto our fine dining restaurant, our pool deck, Tusk bar and room service. So he’s touching all the food outlets.
Q: Is he a local chef?
A: He is a South African now based in France.
Q: What’s the buzz you get from running a hotel like The Palace?
A: My history is in hospitality and I’ve been at The Palace for 13 years. I’ve worked at beautiful hotels in Cape Town and Johannesburg but not one of them comes close to The Palace.
You have such a diversity of offerings in terms of rooms, restaurants, the pool deck and the architecture. You pick up different conversations with different guests, whether it’s about the marble on the floor or the hand painted mosaic ceilings.
After 13 years I still walk in with my head held up high. I’m proud to be part of The Palace and I love my team. We have close to 300 staff and we are like a family.
We’ve obviously been through some challenging times with COVID, our clientele, massive groups, conference businesses and even individual travellers, but the team knows how to deliver on a five-star level and it’s beautiful and amazing to experience.
https://www.suninternational.com/
