Sun City resort has begun a three-year long, R530 million major refurbishment project to spruce up its facilities and add more attractions in a bid to keep the tourist attraction “relevant” as the tourism industry bounces back.
The flagship resort of Sun International achieved record profitability and net positive cash-flow contributions to the group, with adjusted earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) before management fees of R455 million in the year ended December 31, 2023.
The upgrades include the complete refurbishment of the 45-year-old Sun City hotel, the revamp of 236 units at the Sun Vacation Club’s The Reserve, the upgrade of existing tennis courts and new Padel facilities, new gaming and retail outlets, as well as extension of the renewable-energy installation.
Sun City general manager Brett Hoppé yesterday said reinvestment into the resort was crucial “to retain our reputation as a favourite resort destination”.
Hoppé said since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic, the meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions (MICE) market has rebounded with a vengeance.
“Sun City is the perfect destination for business tourism as the professionalism of our conferencing and events facilities can meet the highest-end business demands, while our leisure offering is perfect for delegates during their downtime.
“To meet growing demand from this sector we are also expanding our multi-purpose offering. We believe our new developments will help us remain relevant.”
Between August, 2024 and November, 2026 the Sun City Hotel will undergo a complete upgrade of all 340 rooms, bedroom corridors, bedroom terraces and the Sun terrace along with various infrastructure upgrades.
The project will be carried out in phases to bring the first 56 refreshed rooms back in operation by the end of November, 2024 in time for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.
Ryan Ilgner, director of Blacksmith Interior Inspiration, said the vision for the refurbishment was to pay homage to the rich Tswana culture and the unique surrounds of Sun City.
“The new Sun City Hotel interiors combine comfort with craft in creating a uniquely African experience. Intricate patination gleaned from Tswana weaving is evident in the bespoke carpet designs from the corridors to the bedrooms,” Ilgner said.
“The panoramic artwork of the Pilanesberg pull all these tones together making perfect sense of it all. The room designs serve to complement the incredible vistas of the hotel and the seamless flow between them makes for effortless comfort.”
New attractions at Sun City include brands such as Krispy Kreme, Ben’s Bubble Tea and even a Brix Lego Wonderland that will open shop in time for the peak tourism season.
Sun City also announced that the resort is set to open its brand new Padel facilities, making the resort one of the first in the industry to do so, as the R8m project to build four world-class Padel courts is nearing completion and is expected to open before the end of July.
The open Padel courts, which are all constructed using high-quality Astro life turf imported from Europe will be lit at night to allow extended play.
Once the courts are open, Sun City has plans to host Padel tournaments, with the option to potentially hosting finals taking place in the Sun City Super Bowl thanks to a special pop-up Padel court.
“Sun City is keen to host not only regional, but also national and even international Padel events at our new world-class facility,” Hoppé said.
The sport has taken the world by storm so it’s possible that one day Padel could even become an Olympic sport. A game at Sun City could spark a passion for the game that ends with a South African team winning gold,” Hoppé said.
BUSINESS REPORT