May was a big month for The Table Bay hotel in Cape Town. Not only did bookings steadily increase as the tourism sector recovered, but it also marked the hotel’s 25th birthday.
Sun International’s iconic hotel was officially opened by Nelson Mandela on May 30, 1997. Since, then the property has become an icon of elegance and luxury, acquiring a string of local and international accolades over the years for its service excellence.
In 1997, some people questioned why a premium hotel would be built in a working harbour, as then, the V&A Waterfront was a long way from the bustling, world-famous destination it is today.
Sun International disagreed: “Right from the start, we saw the potential in establishing a world-class hotel in the heart of what we recognised would be a rapidly evolving tourism destination. Today we are envied for having the best address in Cape Town,” says CEO, Anthony Leeming.
Speaking about the hotel’s recovery from the pandemic lockdown, GM Joanne Selby says: “In 2020, for the first time in our 25-year history, we were closed for seven months due to the lockdown; but despite the temporary closure, we were committed to retain as many of our staff as possible and it’s heartening to celebrate our silver anniversary with them.”
International travel from the US, UK and Europe has picked up this year, with a significant increase in business from other African countries.
Visits by notable past guests are commemorated with a plaque at the base of a bronze statue of Oscar, a real Cape Fur Seal who, despite never having been a guest in the hotel, remains its most beloved patron. Selby says: “Oscar was a regular visitor to Jetty 2 outside our hotel where he developed an unlikely friendship with a fisherman who would share part of his daily catch with Oscar. Fur seals are the clowns of the sea and that description epitomised Oscar. Staff and guests all loved him and he still holds a very special place in our hearts.”
Celebrity guests who have stayed in one of the 329 rooms and two presidential suites are too numerous to list but include kings and queens such as King Harald and Queen Sonja of Norway, Mohammed VI, King of Morocco and Prince Albert of Monaco. Among the heads of state to visit were former President Nelson Mandela, French President Jacques Chirac and President Barack Obama – first as a Senator, and after he had become President, and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
