Staging a mini Indaba at The Grand Café and Beach at Granger Bay where travel buyers and invited media rotated from table to table at the five-minute sound of the bell as if speed dating, it took two intensive hours and a dizzying number of presentations to try to kick start the luxury sector in time for summer season.
First stop was with Alison at Schoone Oordt, a new family-friendly boutique hotel in Swellendam who positioned her 10-rooms in the context of other activities within proximity of the hotel. She was first of many to refer to Tripadvisor rankings and comments - they hold the number one position of B&B's on Tripadvisor.
I liked that the presentations, in most cases, were done by owners themselves. Many stressed their Tripadvisor ratings which confirmed, for me, the power of user-generated online content when it comes to selecting accommodation. Interestingly, I don't recall people mentioning any other awards - and the hospitality industry has many of them, other than Travel + Leisure and Conde Nast Traveller awards.
It seems as if hotels are hearing Cape Town Tourism's Mariette Du Toit Helmbold's suggestion that Cape Town must be marketed as more than "sand and sea." Manna Bay, a seven-room lodge in Oranjezicht stressed their position in a residential area where guests can experience Cape Town the way locals do. To make this easier, guests are offered a pre-programmed mobile phone with local numbers and restaurants.
I was especially impressed by the smarts shown by the marketing team at Uwe Koetter Jewellers who, while not a hotel, were present at the event. They offer free workshop tours, free jewellery cleaning and polishing and free De Beers-sponsored story-of-diamonds experience. At the event they were also offering free chocolate-covered meringue kisses. They also mentioned that they will turnaround rush jewellery pieces in 48 hours as well as hinted that Uwe Koetter will be moving to new premises in the tourist-friendly Cape Quarter by December.
The Turbine Hotel, Knysna stressed their post-industrial space on Thessen's Island while Babylonstoren focussed on their kitchen gardens and the experience of being on a working farm. Babel, their fabulous restaurant, will be open to the public on Friday and Saturday evenings from October.
Grootbos is a property I've heard a lot about but really want to visit after meeting the owner and seeing his presentation. The standout for me is their 768 species of fynbos, access to the ancient Klipgat Caves where our seafood-eating ancestors were discovered and sports programmes for children that involve the local community.
Although Shamwari was one of the organisers of this event, I was most disappointed by their presentation as they ran over time. They weren't the only ones that did, but of all people, they should have planned their's better. Furthermore, there are too many Shamwari properties to present in a five-minute slot.
The Shamwari Townhouse was awarded Africa's Leading Hotel Brand at the World Travel Awards, in Egypt. In a statement, Adrian Gardiner founder of Shamwari and founder and CEO of the Mantis Collection described the award as an ongoing commitment to creating a value for money destination whilst pulling out all the stops in creating a totally exclusive and first class destination. "As always, we are fully committed to our clients and strive to continue our community efforts and we look forward to reaping the benefits of this valued recognition," he said.
As a veteran of the hospitality business, Gardiner has condensed what it is that top-end travellers want - and, if you need corroboration, just read the five-star sectors comments on Tripadvisor.
