SUN KING RETURNS HOME WITH ONE & ONLY

South Africa’s most influential hotelier, Sol Kerzner, will make a long-awaited return to business in his home country with the launch of the R1 billion One&Only Cape Town – his first commercial development here since the launch of The Palace of the Lost City in 1992. Andrew Starke reports that his new venture is on track for a May opening.

In 2003 Nelson Mandela called Sol Kerzner “by far the greatest entrepreneur in the tourism industry” and the luxury hotel and casino magnate responded by unveiling plans for a six-star resort at Cape Town’ s Victoria & Alfred Waterfront. The project – one of the most expensive hotel developments yet seen in Africa – is now due to be completed in May, four months ahead of schedule.

An artist’s impression of One&Only Cape Town shows the resort’s Marina Rise, Spa Island and Island Suites.

“One&Only Cape Town will become a significant landmark in Africa with its bold, contemporary design promising to make it one of the world’s leading luxury resort destinations,” said Kezner. “I am looking forward to once again contributing to South Africa’s tourism industry, which has seen an incredible growth in recent years.” However the extent to which South Africa’s tourism growth is sustainable given the global recession and the vulnerability of long-haul destinations remains to be seen. Despite the glittering, star-studded launch of Kerzner International’s Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai last September, his organisation has felt the pinch with cost cutting measures resulting in the shelving of plans to construct new One&Only hotels – bar this year’s Cape Town and Casablanca openings - and some lay-offs.

Kerzner conceded the difficulties of operating a global hotel company when capital markets are in turmoil but, despite many US hotel groups reporting a 10% decline in occupancies, he said One&Only had so far been largely unaffected. “Overall, as a company, we have a good balance,” he said, adding that construction costs for One&Only Cape Town had been budgeted for long before the credit crunch and rand weakness in mid to late 2008. Gérard Sintès, GM of One&Only Cape Town, said that the hotel expected to attract guests from the usual cross-section of Cape Town business and leisure tourist nationalities: South Africa, Europe, UK, North America and the Middle East with increasing numbers from China. He also expressed confidence that the hotel would benefit from the hosting of the 2010 World Cup.

Guests will be able to choose from a number of accommodation options in either the seven-storey Marina Tower, which has 91 rooms and suites, or the 40 Island Suites, which will be set on an adjacent landscaped island. A strong selling point will be One&Only’s claim that the resort’s rooms and suites are to be the largest in Cape Town with a minimum size of 60m2 and each with its own private terrace or balcony. Premium prices will be charged for rooms, which Kerzner described as the most luxurious his company has ever built. Sitting atop the crescent-shaped Marina Tower will be three four-bedroom penthouses each offering two storeys and 800m2 of residential living space. One of these made headlines last year when it sold for a record-breaking R110-million although the buyer has not been named. The owners of the penthouses will benefit from a wide array of personalised services from the resort including a concierge and butler, a housekeeper and access to the spa and fitness centre.

One&Only Cape Town: at a glance One&Only Cape Town will be a 131-key resort The resort’s Marina Rise will offer 91 rooms and suites These will comprise 78 Marina rooms, four Marina Junior suites, seven Marina suites, the Table Mountain suite and a Presidential suite 40 suites will also be available on a landscaped island These will comprise 32 Island Junior suites, four one-bedroom Island suites and four two-bedroom Island suites

A further two suites will offer their own en-suite spa treatment rooms to afford guests maximum privacy and relaxation. The resort’s main pool area, located on one of two private islands linked by bridges, will feature a 350-square metre freeform, infinity-edge swimming pool, a private sitting area with double chaise lounges for sunbathing and shaded trellis pavilions. Cape Town-based architects Dennis Fabian & Berman and Ruben Reddy have ensured the seven-storey stylish property integrates with the Waterfront District, with the resort interiors created by New York-based interior designer Adam D. Tihany. The resort’s feel will be contemporary whilst drawing heavily on Africa’s culture and heritage.

Aside from the Island Suites, a second Spa Island claims to be the “most comprehensive and expansive spa in Cape Town”. Surrounded by water and dense vegetation, the 1 200m2 One&Only Spa will offer 11 treatment suites of which two will have private wet areas for both single and couples treatments. Two vitality pools will complement the relaxation spaces, sauna and steam rooms. For the business traveller there will be a 260m2 meeting and banqueting room able to host up to 200 people for cocktails and 112 guests for a sit down dinner. The space can also be divided into two separate rooms for a more intimate setting. An adjacent boardroom seats 20 and in the business centre there will be a second boardroom able to accommodate 12 people.

Kerzner International: recent activity

Sol and Heather Kerzner with Robert de Niro at the opening of Atlantis, The Palm – the flagship resort on The Palm Jumeirah in Dubai. At 73 Sol Kerzner continues to identify and develop opportunities for Kerzner International, including expanding the company’s luxury hotel and resort portfolio. Kerzner’s flagship brand is Atlantis, which includes Atlantis, Paradise Island, a 2 900-room ocean-themed destination resort in The Bahamas.  This number was arrived at after a $1 billion expansion that opened in early 2007; adding 3 000 new employees, 600 new guest rooms at The Cove Atlantis and The Reef Atlantis, a 500 unit tower with home-like amenities. This destination features a variety of accommodations all built around a 100-acre waterscape with fresh and saltwater lagoons, pools and habitats, the world’s largest open-air marine habitat. Kerzner has also extended the Atlantis brand globally with the development of Atlantis, The Palm – the first resort to open its doors on Dubai’s revolutionary man-made island. The new 1 539-room resort encompasses a 46-hectare site with 17 hectares of water themed amusement and opened in September 2008. Kerzner International has commenced construction of a 600-room, destination casino resort in Morocco that will open this year and be operated by Kerzner under a new brand that it will be introducing to the market. The One&Only brand was launched in Europe in late 2002 and consistently ranks among the top hotels in the world. Its portfolio currently includes five luxury resort hotels: One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius; One&Only Reethi Rah in the Maldives; One&Only Royal Mirage in Dubai, One&Only Ocean Club in The Bahamas, and One&Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Mexico. Aside from the Cape Town venture, additional One&Only properties in Zanzibar and Costa Rica are under development.

One&Only Cape Town will feature three dining options with the showpiece being Nobu, a renowned global restaurant brand inspired by chef Nobu Matsuhisa. On offer will be his signature Japanese-inspired menu with a few South African twists. This Nobu, the first in Africa, will also offer private catering. A second restaurant called Plate will showcase the best in local seafood, game and produce with flavours inspired by the Mother City’s many cultural influences. A tri-level wall of glass and steel is set to command the entrance of Plate’s Wine Loft where guests can chose their wine from a collection of 6 000 bottles. A mezzanine tasting room will offer more than 100 wines by the glass served with suggested food pairings.

A third restaurant, Island Terrace, located outdoors on The Island will be available for more casual dining as well as special events. Vista, the lobby bar, will boast a three-storey clear glass wall highlighting Table Mountain.

Gérard Sintès, GM of One&Only CT

Gérard Sintès rejoined One&Only Resorts in 2008 from Shangri-La Hotels & Resorts, where he was GM of the Shangri-La Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, since late 2005. During this time he also served as area manager for Thailand and Myanmar. Sintès first joined Kerzner International in 1999 as the GM of One&Only Le Saint Géran in Mauritius, a position he held for seven years. He also had a second nine-year stint at Shangri-La when he was GM at several of their hotels in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. A French national born in Africa, Sintès began his career at the Hotel Mirabeau in Lausanne, where he studied hotel management at the renowned Ecole Hotelière.