The Cape Town Ritz Hotel undergoes a R110 million makeover, spearheaded by recently launched Shimmy Luxury Collection.
CAPE TOWN – This week sees the launch of a luxury hospitality group, Shimmy Luxury Collection (SLC), an equity-based management company spearheaded by en-trepreneur, Nicky Van Der Walt.
Benchmarked against the most exclusive collections in the world, Shimmy Luxury Collection is set to shake up the hospitality landscape in South Africa. With a unique approach to equity-based, owner-management, the SLC team provides 360 insights covering all bases from legal support, financial investment and operational modeling through to design and brand building.
The creation of SLC was birthed using the platform from which this brand was inspired i.e. the anchor of the portfolio, Cape Town’s popular Shimmy Beach Club as well as his commitment and deep desire to curate memorable entertainment spaces on par with top luxury collections in the world. With this drive, SLC is set to become a leading hospitality solutions business. The group’s ethos stands for design driven accessible luxury.
They have positioned themselves as business partners rather than simply management and are bringing the muscle to prove it. SLC is setting a precedent in a financial environment where South African generated wealth is flowing out of the economy and van der Walt believes it is in-cumbent on business owners to reinvest in the country and not simply service existing responsi-bilities. SLC aims to become an alternative to the traditional corporate hospitality brands bringing an x-factor and element of cool that is unconventional and incomparable to what is currently available in the market place
“We’re not simply a management company”, van der Walt emphasizes, “we offer equity and in-vestment solutions that create a partnership model by being vertically integrated by offering a single-source turn-key solution. We have the resources that enable us to deliver on all aspects, from bespoke design concepts through to operational solutions. We offer a vision and provide the blueprint to get there.”
In addition to Shimmy Beach Club, SLC’s enviable portfolio includes; The Ritz, a Wine Estate in the Western Cape with a strong pipeline of projects in development stages on the continent.
SLC has taken on a 20 year management contract for The Ritz Plaza. This iconic and historic hotel is a Cape Town landmark. Established in 1972 it claims the city’s only revolving restaurant – aptly named ‘The Top of The Ritz’ – offering 360 degree views of Sea Point, Lions Head and the Atlantic Ocean.
The total refurbishment project value currently sits at R110 million and is set to be fully opera-tional in time for season by 1 December 2016. The hotel will boast a restaurant at the Top of the Ritz, influenced by concept chef, Bertus Basson; a Switch Gym and an exciting new nightclub with multi-award winning DJ, Black Coffee, in an exclusive residency for both Shimmy Beach Club and the Ritz.
The Ritz will open under General Management by Clayton Howard and Director of Sales and Marketing – Philma Gomes.
Van Der Walt is a South African household name and is married to former beauty queen and model, Lee-Ann Liebenberg. The power couple recently relocated to Cape Town, where they will be working hand-in-hand on various aspects of the business. Liebenberg is on board in a creative advisory role.
In South Africa, tourism is a national priority contributing significantly to the country's economic development. The Cape Town Tourism sector is a major contributor to the country’s total GDP and a driver of Cape Town’s allure as a global destination for business and leisure travel. As a result, there is a great demand for new hospitality groups like SLC, whose service and offerings can satisfy these unique customers.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
