One of South Africa’s most iconic and properties – the opulent Palace of the Lost City – celebrated its 30th birthday this weekend on a positive note following two years of devastation for the entire hotel industry during the pandemic.
“Despite some challenges ahead – including the need for more airlift – I am very optimistic for growth ahead of the high season,” said GM of the Sun City Resort (which includes The Palace), Brett Hoppé.
Speaking to Tourism Update on the eve of the birthday celebration, he noted that The Palace was about 80% booked for the December holidays.
“It is still predominantly domestic tourists but we are hopeful of the gradual return of international travellers, particularly from the US market, thanks to the new Delta and United Airlines flights,” Hoppé said.
Chinese New Year is on January 20, which he hoped would also attract more international tourists. “The Chinese market is a strong source market for The Palace, and Sun City in general, and we have heard there are positive developments out of China in terms of the global travel rules being eased.”
At the end of the day, the biggest challenge to tourism growth was air capacity, he said, pointing out that Sun International was keeping a keen eye on the domestic airlines in term of capacity growth as this would also reduce flight prices.
New look
Over R200m (€11.7m) had been invested in the property to give it a fresh new look and feel, said Sun International CEO, Anthony Leeming, noting that the group had made a commitment to continue to invest in all properties.
All 326 rooms and suites were extensively upgraded. The design process, by interior architectural design specialists David Muirhead and Associates, began more than two years ago with the visualisation of the rooms’ new look and feel.
“As The Palace of the Lost City is an iconic destination, it was essential that we kept the hotel’s integrity, and the vision of its founder, Sol Kerzner, intact, while being sensitive to the brand’s history. Our job was to capture its essence – the fantasy of a lost African city, and evolve it,” said David Muirhead, partner at David Muirhead and Associates. “It was of paramount importance to us as a design company to ensure the longevity of this spectacular international landmark hotel.”
Sun International partnered with Sun Goddess African Luxury Design House to dress more than 400 members of staff at The Palace, in a venture that will lead to 200 people employed for up to six months.
This is the first phase of a full re-dress for all of Sun City’s staff.
Fit for royalty
Over the past 30 years The Palace has accommodated the rich and the famous, from royalty to rock stars. Well over 300 famous performers and heads of state have stayed at the hotel, from members of the legendary band Queen, to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston to name but a few.
Hoppé said: “The opening of The Palace (December 1992) was a glittering affair that was attended by many celebrities who were big names at the time including Bo Derrick, Jean Michel Jarre who performed that night, Jerry Hall and Joan Collins, Hugh Masekela and Johnny Clegg and Savuka.
“Since then, the list has grown to include many illustrious names such as Sting, Pavarotti, Wesley Snipes, Stevie Wonder, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more. But it is equally important to note that many of these international stars returned multiple times and some, like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown, came incognito to simply holiday at The Palace.”
Did you know?
- The evocative African landscape painted on the underside of a dome ceiling at the entrance took nine artists nearly 5 000 hours to complete, while hand-painted murals cover an area of 3 400 square metres. The tapestries in the Royal Entrance Chamber behind the concierge and the reception desk took two years to weave.
- During the peak of building activity, nearly 10 000 people worked on the project, laying eight million bricks. During the first year of construction, an average of one million bricks was laid every month by almost 200 bricklayers.
- In the Crystal Court a massive rock-crystal chandelier that is suspended 4.2 metres above the ground and spanning five metres in diameter, overlooks a Bösendorfer piano once played by Liberace and Elton John.
- The hotel is surrounded by 25 hectares of exotic jungle and waterscapes that all lead down to the Valley of Waves (opened in 1996). This wonderland is set within the greater Sun City resort, overlooked by craggy mountains and surrounded by the neighbouring 55 000-hectare Pilanesberg National Park.
- The Lost City, which opened in December 1992, was built at a cost of R830 million (€48.8m) and was completed in a record 28 months. Workers moved 1 750 000 cubic metres of earth and blasted 85 000 cubic metres of rock. Construction required 30 million bricks, poured 85 000 cubic metres of concrete and installed 150 000 metres of piping.
- The atrium is dominated by a life-size bronze sculpture of Shawu, a large bull elephant who lived at the Kruger National Park. At a shoulder height of 3.4 metres, Shawu’s left tusk was the longest on record in the region, and one of the sixth longest ever recorded in Africa. The famous elephant was brought to life by South African sculptor Danie de Jager, whose sculpture of Shawu realistically portrays the leathery texture of his skin, his ragged ears and cracked feet. Shawu towers 4.5m above the ground and is one of the most photographed animal sculptures in the world.
