Sun Int names new GM for Table Bay

Sherwin Banda, the new GM of Sun International’s Cape Town V&A Waterfront property, The Table Bay Hotel, intends to bolster service by focusing on creating relationships.
“I want to enhance our service levels in a personal and meaningful way by going back to our roots. The Table Bay will provide a unique South African experience offered in a way that meets our international guests’ expectations.”
Banda also prizes technology as a way to enhance the personal experience: “We are working with our technology partners to develop a hand-held customer relations system so that we can do away with a formal check-in and respond effectively and immediately to guest requests. We will be able to access information at the press of a button, be it in a guest room, the lounge or the lobby.”
Banda was born and raised in Cape Town where he studied law at The University of Western Cape and public relations at the Academy of Learning Institute.
“I am blessed to be back in Cape Town, and the incredible location of the hotel with its Table Mountain and Atlantic Ocean views make it a pleasure to come to work,” he enthuses.
He has spent nearly 15 years in the international hospitality industry working in South Africa, the United Kingdom, and southern California. He is the consummate hotelier, exuding warmth, polish and style.
His experience in the hotel industry includes seven years with Luxe Hotels in California. As director of brand standards and training, he was instrumental in developing comprehensive hotel rating standards and raising guest satisfaction scores through comprehensive training initiatives.
Banda was also GM of Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel and director of operations of Luxe Sunset Boulevard Hotel. He also involved himself in the Beverly Hills community by becoming an executive board member to both the Beverly Hills Chamber of Commerce and the Rodeo Drive Committee.
“The Luxe Rodeo Drive Hotel attracts many Hollywood celebrities, international designers, dignitaries, and diplomats,” recalls Banda. “During the Golden Globes the hotel was filled with A-list producers, presenters, actors and directors. Gucci, Prada and Valentino would conduct their fittings from the hotel’s hospitality suites.
Naturally, he learned a thing or two about fashion. “I favour Prada suits, Valentino ties for their bold hues and Ralph Lauren’s casualwear, although when I’m at home I love to wear locally made African clothing. Every trip home from America I’d haunt the markets for leather sandals and Madiba shirts, luckily now they are right on my doorstep.”
Banda is a graduate of the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute and is dedicated to improving performance through proper employee selection, systems changes, and training.
“The thing I love most about being home is the unique style of service. The real essence of the people shines through. Each individual embodies what is so unique about South Africa and I want to develop on this. I will invest in each employee, giving them the tools to be successful which in turn will enhance the guest experience in a meaningful way.”
Banda also worked at the Graciela Burbank, a luxury boutique hotel in Burbank, California, and at the Atlantic Hotel in the UK, the Ambassador Hotel and Executive Suites in Cape Town. He started his career in 1997 at the Villa Via (as it then was), also in Cape Town.
From Sun International’s point of view, his management philosophy of highly personalised service and high standards make him the perfect fit to lead the Table Bay into the future.
“As hoteliers, we get to play an active role in creating memories – it is easy to do something special for someone, to treat a guest as though they are family – in this way The Table Bay will be remembered and we start to create a history with someone.”