Our hotels in West Africa continue to impress and last month, two of our group properties, Amber Tinapa and Nike Lake Resort successfully hosted teams for the just ended FIFA under 17 World Cup tournament. The tournament started on the 24th of October with the last match held on Sunday the 15th of November 2009. The teams hosted by the two hotels included home team Nigeria, Iran, Korea, Uruguay, Turkey, Netherlands, New Zealand, Gambia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Burkina Faso and the UAE.

    

The hotels did a great job of hosting the teams and the staff worked tirelessly to make sure everything was in order. One could see there was a lot of excitement from the hotel staff to be a part of the World Cup in their own special way! Some of the star-struck and football-lovers amongst us were lucky enough to go away with some football jerseys as souvenirs.

The teams made full use of the hotel facilities and New Zealand decided not to leave Nike Lake Resort for their training sessions and instead used the grounds at the hotel. Iran on the other hand enjoyed the hospitality so much that they stayed for 13 nights and the hotel staff branded them the “Home Team.”

    

All in all, we were very proud of our team as they did a splendid job looking after our guests and we are glad to have made relationships that will outlive memories of the tournament. Our list of high profile guests continues to grow. First we have Obama, then we have FIFA selecting our hotels in Southern and Western Africa for their events... who’s next?

African Sun Limited owned Elephant Hills Resort was awarded with the prestigious ISO9001:2000 certification on Tuesday 03 November 2009. The journey towards certification began on 21 September 2006 followed by an initial audit on 10 December 2007 which culminated with the final audit on 16 March 2008. In his keynote address at the glamorous ceremony held at the hotel, the Acting General Manager Mr Nkosi Moyo said, ‘Since its official opening in 1993, the hotel has been working its way up in the ladder to create a sustainable quality brand that has weathered all storms and… the march to this Promised Land may I say hasn’t been a stroll in the park especially in the face of the memorable yester year’s macro-economic challenges and recent global financial crisis which had decreased the number of arrivals to the hotel”.

    

According to the General Manager, ‘ISO Certification was made possible through the hotel’s cooperation with local municipal authority [Victoria Falls Municipality] who have always supplied the hotel with safe, reliable and adequate water drinking water as well as timeous collection of refuse, the national power utility [ZESA] who also have also ensured the hotel electricity at all the times. Some of the distinguished guests present at the function were the Governor for Matabeleland North Province, Thokozile Mathuthu, The Mayor of the Resort Town of Victoria Falls, His Worship Cllr, Nkosilathi Jiyane, as well as t the Operations Manager for African Sun Zimbabwe, Mr Tich Hwingwiri. The hotel’s ISO consultant Mr Maseko and the Director General of Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) Mrs Eve Kadzikwa also graced the occasion.

    

Speaking at the same ceremony, the Standards Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) Director General Eve Gadzikwa said, ‘The tourism sector has the potential to spur the country’s economy to be
the fastest growing in Africa between 2010 and beyond’. She went on to say that the hotel is now poised to take advantage of the revival of the global economy armed with the ISO 9001:2000 certification given that that the certificate is now firmly established as the globally accepted standard for providing assurance of the quality of goods and services in supplier-customer relations. Mrs Gadzikwa noted that more than a million ISO 901:2000 certificates were issued in 161 countries.

    

By being ISO 9001:2000 Certified, the hotel will need to work tirelessly to maintain the standard and ensure consistency in all its services in terms of food quality, service delivery, cleanliness and functionality of all amenities. With the 2010 Soccer World Cup in South Africa barely 8 months away, the likelihood of some soccer teams choosing to set up base in Victoria Falls is very high and it is against this background that the certification of this hotel puts the hotel in a very good position in terms of competitiveness and acceptance as a world class facility. The resort town is within the recommended one-and-a-half hours from Johannesburg by plane. The certificate is valid for three years, after which there will be a re-certification audit.

New Zealand decided not to drive out of their Nike Lake Resort abode, settling to train at the Nike Lake make shift pitch at the hotel premises.

Dressed in All Black, the lads loosened up and did some ball work, and ended up at the swimming pool of the Nike Lake Resort.

Coach of the team, Steve Cain was full of optimism after the light training. "I'm optimistic my team will perform well when the tournament starts going by the calibre of players brought here".

WHEN a hotel says it’s the best, I reserve judgment. When Travel & Leisure magazine votes it the Best Hotel in Johannesburg, I take note and investigate for myself. The Grace in Rosebank, especially for guests who are staying on the Club Floor and have the advantage of butler service, is among the finest hotels I have visited in the world.

There are only two negatives and only one of their own doing, but otherwise, this is a perfect hotel.

The shower cubicle is a little small and, not of their doing, the road systems in and around Rosebank now that the Gautrain development is underway are exacerbating for those of us who don’t know the way, to say the least.

Fortunately, one of the brilliant added-value offerings for all guests at The Grace is a complimentary chauffer service within 10 kilometers of the hotel so despite having a car, we took advantage of the pick up and drop off and enjoyed our night out ten-fold more not having to worry about traffic at night.

People will tell you that I’m spoiled. This I know. In fact, I was at my local pharmacy when Mr Mallach came up and told me a story that his daughter, with whom I was in junior school, tells at my expense.

I don’t remember the incident at all, but it seems true to form. When the teacher in grade three asked me to go and collect something I said, she and not I, should collect it.

I relate this because I am used to having superb service. I’m not one of these people who become bashful at the thought of someone serving me. What makes the service at The Grace beyond exceptional is not that they will do your bidding, but rather that they offer it without being asked. “May we shine your shoes”, butler Elijah says without even looking down at my mud-encrusted footwear; can we press your shirt; may we serve you a glass of wine with canapés; may we have your car washed? “May we make up your room”, he asked as we left for a jaunt around the adjoining Mall of Rosebank.

“Don’t worry”, I said, “we’ll be back soon and then we’ll check out.” When we got back, the room had been serviced. This level of bespoke service is what sophisticated travelers today crave, but we make do with large, corporate hotels where you’re more likely to find a jumble of airline staff or large group of deal-seekers.

The Grace is a premium product and is priced accordingly, but the added-value must also be considered when selecting another five-star product based on price alone. The kitchen is headed by Group Executive Chef Raymond Rundle and his team. The Dining Room’s menu is simple, elegant and contemporary. It is famed for its breakfast, which is just as I remember it from my last visit some years ago, (and the only spot offering oats with fresh cream and Drambuie).

If you’re in a hurry over lunch (and who isn’t nowadays) they’re offering a “Power Lunch” that allows corporate guests in the immediate area to be back in their offices within an hour (and a surprisingly inexpensive burger option!) The hotels meetings rooms have been branded “54 Bath Avenue” and are on the second floor, accommodating 12 to 200 people in one venue.

All guests have access to WiFi on the premises. Complimentary wireless internet is available in all rooms. In addition, internet points for Ethernet is also available for guests whose notebooks are not compatible with a wireless option.

By Brian Berkman
The Grace, Rosebank. 011-280-7200

Source: http://www.48hours.co.za/Brian_Berkman.html