BIG INTERVIEW
A SUN THAT NEVER SETS Marnie Tait, national sales manager for Sun International, talks to Meetings on the group’s strategy through the Covid-19 pandemic and what guests can look forward to in the future. From deep cleaning and hygiene protocols, to tech-driven meetings platforms, it is encouraging to see the strides that Sun International is taking in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Can you elaborate on this, in addition to how Sun International’s offering as a venue has had to evolve to where it is currently? The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged our concept of ‘normal’ and has changed the way in which we do business and interact with one another. Like businesses the world over, Sun International has had to introduce new worldclass hygiene and safety protocols in order to be able to reopen safely. In some cases, our new health and safety protocols exceed local and international benchmarks, and we are confident that we can offer our guests a safe experience at our properties. At our urban casinos, we have installed physical shields between slot machines and between seats at gaming tables. Every second slot machine has been disabled to ensure appropriate physical distancing between guests on the casino floor.
6 • MEETINGS l JULY/AUGUST 2020
Only guests who are booked into our hotels or are members of Sun International’s loyalty programme – Most Valued Guests (MVGs) – will be allowed access into hotels and on to casino floors for the foreseeable future. Golfers will be allowed to access golf courses at our properties. Safety measures across all our properties include temperature tests conducted at entrances. Anyone accessing our properties – including visitors, staff, concessionaires and suppliers – is required to complete a medical screening questionnaire before they can enter our premises, including our restaurants.
Within this, please share with our readers where Sun International is starting to experience activity increasing as lockdown regulations ease, as well as what you are anticipating in the short term (3-6 months) and longer term (6-36 months) as far as travel and social gatherings are concerned? We were permitted to reopen our urban casinos from 1 July. Initially, casino hotels had to remain closed but with the reopening of intra-provincial leisure tourism in August, they have been able to reopen. Sun International restaurants, as well as those belonging to third-party concessionaires, have reopened with reconfigured layouts and the necessary physical distancing rules. They will not serve alcohol, in line with current regulations. Some may not reopen immediately, or may open only at certain times. Many entertainment facilities at casino properties might also remain closed for now. As national and international borders are still closed, certain Sun International properties will not open for the time being. These include Sun City Resort, The Wild Coast Sun Resort, The Boardwalk Hotel, The Maslow Sandton Hotel and The Table Bay in Cape Town. These properties are hoping to reopen from 1 October.
It would be difficult to overestimate the impact that the pandemic has had on business and leisure travel, but we believe that the industry will recover. In the medium term, we believe domestic markets will pick up this year, but activity is likely be muted to begin with, as many companies will need to regain ground from business lost during the lockdown. While it is too soon to predict whether people will want to travel or attend conferences and events when borders are reopened, we anticipate that international travel will only realistically resume in 2021. Until then, the hospitality, conferencing and eventing industry will need to devise ways in which to stimulate domestic business.
What are Sun International’s current objectives as a business and where do
“Our virtual conferencing offering will be capable of hosting meetings, incentives, conventions, exhibitions and events.” Marnie Tait, national sales manager, Sun International,
www.theplanner.guru
