FLASHBACK: A year to savour – 1999

“The start of 1999 has been very much like the curate’s egg: excellent in parts.” Andrew Moth, editor of Hotel & Restaurant was realistic about the challenges facing the country and the industry at that time – police brutality, poor policing in general, crime and acts of urban terrorism.

However, he was positive about the falling interest rates and petrol price allowing businesses to service their debts with less difficulty; increase in flights from the UK on SAA bringing in more international tourists and foreign exchange; the general election; milestone celebrations for the Mount Nelson Hotel (100^th), South African Chefs Association and Nederburg Auction (25^th); and the holding of the International Hotel & Restaurant Association congress with Fedhasa.

SAA has never been out of the news for long, with open skies arguments still raging, as much now as then, in a boost to get more international tourists into the country.

The challenges in the industry were being tackled head on. Peter Mokaba, then deputy minister of tourism, criticised the hospitality industry for the lack of black faces in management and executive positions. He said: “Almost five years into the new dispensation, the industry still remains white dominated and there is no real participation by blacks at top management levels.”

The problems were said to lie in lack of access to the industry, including lack of finance, land and credit, and inability to access skills, education and information. These remain challenges today, although Andrew Moth has said on many occasions that these challenges are not unique to black investors, but all investors into the hospitality industry.

The new executive director of Satour was Harvard University School of Business graduate Stewart Lumka. He had previously been chairman of the Phumelela Gaming and Leisure Company.

Then Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Pallo Jordan, signed a declaration which brought into operation the new partnership between government and the business sector on tourism. These private/public partnerships, or PPPs, are still seen as critical to growth in tourism today.

The computer and technology were increasingly finding new niches in the hospitality business. Internet was doing brisk business in hotel rooms. And remember all the fuss over the biggest non-event of the year – the threat of the Y2K meltdown? It seemed at the stroke of midnight, all computers and indeed telephonic services would reset themselves to the dawn of time, not being able to handle the numerical challenges of the year 2000. A lot of money went into ensuring technology wouldn’t suffer melt-downs, and in fact none did.

Life was speeding up, and with it came the novel idea of offering the 45-minute lunch. To cope with the rush, H&R recommended: “Fewer pans on the fire. Lighter meals, smaller portions. Easy-to-prepare recipes – pies in winter, salads in summer. Prompt and efficient service. Value for money.”

As expense account budgets were whittled away to almost nothing, the long and languorous lunch had become a thing of the past, with the exception of special occasions and year end functions. The industry was already finding new ways to boost their lunchtime business. These specials remain popular today for people keen to a decent meal out but wanting to guarantee they can meet the afternoon commitments.

Michel Morand, then of Gatrile’s and most recently chef patron of the now closed Auberge Michel, explained that a restaurant’s lunchtime trade quite simply provided a basis for its dinner trade. The big threat to restaurants like these, as well as top hotel restaurants, was captured by Rainhold Peterson of Chaplin’s in Melville: “Coffee shops are no longer simple coffee shops. They are taking our business away, so we have to compete.”

The advent of limited service hotels spurred on the trend towards the 24-hour convenience of vending machines, still popular in many hotels today. Suppliers at that time said that vending had become so entrenched in the hotel and leisure sector that architects were allocating space for the machines. However, the maintenance and upgrading of vending equipment was something of a “headache” for hoteliers, and outside operators were being called in to manage them.

Sushi was all the rage and conveyor sushi outlets combined this delicate and ornately presented cuisine at fast food-type speed.

Wrapps, now a staple on many quick service restaurant menus, was causing quite a stir giving hamburgers a run for their money. Seen as healthy and exotic, the wrapp was first made famous by FourNews Development’s Global Wrapps brand.

Hotdogs were back on the menu with the growth of the Sausage Saloon franchise to 26 stores in its first year of operation, with a further 24 stores on the cards for 1999.

The debate about the safety and use of genetically modified foods was starting to reach the country. It was reported then: “Genetically modified foods have been available for years in the UK, the US, Japan and China. And optimistic researchers claim that in 20 years, almost 80% of the world’s food will be genetically modified in some way.”

Of course the backlash this would create is the current fixation with where food comes from, how it is grown/raised, what chemicals were used in the process, and a move towards using organic ingredients as far as possible and marketing these clearly on menus.

Energy drinks and bottled mineral water were growing in popularity.

Editor Andrew Moth has long been an advocate of conservation and urged hoteliers and restaurateurs to become world leaders in energy and water conservation. Various industry experts were brought in to explain the importance of sustainability and responsible use of resources by the hospitality industry.

The Tourism Business Council was working hard to raise additional funds (initial targets were R150-million) for the marketing of South Africa as a tourist destination by Satour through a voluntary levy scheme. This scheme has since grown to become the Tourism Marketing Levy South Africa (TOMSA), consistently raising funds for this purpose. TOMSA has grown from collecting R9.9-million in 1999 with less than 50 collectors, to collecting in excess of R70-million in 2009.

Just some of the new properties to celebrate openings in 1999: Caesars Gauteng Hotel Casino and Convention Resort (now Emperors Palace); Sheraton Pretoria Hotel & Towers; Protea Hotel Wanderers; Sun International’s Carnival City; Southern Sun’s Sandton Convention Centre; after much delay building was underway on the GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World.

Construction had begun at Montecasino in Johannesburg. Hotel groups like City Lodge were expanding their brands across the country, and new, independent hotels were popping up countrywide.

These are just some of the many projects that were under construction or had been finalised and announced in 1999. The industry was getting ready to expand to accommodate the expected influx in tourists.

In the CBDs, quite the opposite was happening. The Johannesburg city centre had become a no-go area for the hotel trade and the Carlton Hotel and the Johannesburg Sun had closed the previous year. Not even downgrading the five-star hotels to three-star hotels in previous years could save them from the crime and grime that was becoming the norm in the area.

On a more positive note, the Devonshire Hotel in Braamfontein had been bought by the new Orion group of hotels and was being refurbished. It is still in operation today and caters to a busy conference market, while still offers silver service dining on request in its private dining rooms.

Training and skills development was a big focus, with new schools opening up and the industry keen to report on the various in-house training programmes offered to staff.

Editor Andrew Moth ended the year by giving advice to hotels and restaurants as they approached the December season on how to deal with customer complaints about over-charging. This is an annual conversation that Moth has with the industry, as consumers flocking to internationally recognised destinations like Cape Town continue to be bewildered by the laws of supply and demand.

He said: “While there can be little doubt that some people in the industry will take advantage of consumers at every opportunity, let’s hope that the majority of operators who offer a fair product at a fair price will continue to focus on the need to do so.

“But, be sure that your staff understand your policies and exercise the discretion you give them with responsibility at this time.”

(Image courtesy of stylist.com)