Sun City Hotel enters new era

Sun City Hotel, a legendary icon of luxury and entertainment, is stepping into a new era with a stunning refurbishment that redefines elegance and comfort as part of Sun International’s commitment to providing an unparalleled guest experience and blending its rich heritage with modern sophistication.

Construction on the Sun City resort began in July 1978 and the fast-tracked project was completed at a cost of R30 million in a record-setting 16 months. When the resort opened on 19 December 1979, it consisted of one hotel – the Sun City Hotel.

After just one year, Sun City had attracted more than 300 000 visitors to the extravaganza and theatre shows alone, so it was soon apparent that the original hotel could not cope with the unprecedented demand.

The Cascades, The Cabanas and The Palace added to the inventory, but the original Sun City “casino” hotel has always gripped the public imagination, and today it is as popular as it was back in 1979.

When the hotel was upgraded in 2016 as part of a R1 billion upgrade at the resort, the hotel was relaunched as Soho, but renaming one of the most iconic hotels in South Africa required buy-in from the public.

Brett Hoppé, Sun City General Manager, said: “It seemed an appropriate time to give the hotel its own identity, but this never resonated with customers and they continued to refer to the ‘Sun City Hotel’. While we expected some resistance to the change, we were surprised by how resolutely people would cling to the original name. When we realised how affectionately the Sun City Hotel was embraced by South Africans, we restored the hotel’s original name.”

Comprehensive facelift

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 in order to bring the first 56 refreshed rooms back into operation by the end of November 2024, in time for the Nedbank Golf Challenge.

The hotel will offer a selection of room types, all tastefully decorated in African style:

·       74 Family Rooms

·       50 Interleading Rooms

·       2 Paraplegic Rooms

·       34 Luxury Rooms

·       171 Twin Rooms

·       6 Junior Suites

·       2 Presidential Suites

·       1 mock-up room (completed)

Interior inspiration

Ryan Ilgner, director of Blacksmith Interior Inspiration, the firm behind the new interior design and decor, explained the vision for the refurbishment.

“Paying homage to the rich Tswana culture and the 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. These flow beautifully into one-of-a-kind carved furniture pieces.”

Blacksmith Interior Inspiration has distinguished itself in the retail, hospitality and leisure markets since 1993, both locally and abroad. The firm has also been involved with similar projects for the Sun International group at The Maslow at TIme Square and the Sun Vacation Club.

“The golden savannah tones are seen in striking fabric features and the timber reminds one of the winter grasslands of the bushveld. Rich tan leathers offset these, combined with cool teal accents in the bathrooms, balancing the colour palette beautifully. 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,” said Ilgner.

The first hotel to be built at Sun City and as such, the long-established heart of the resort, the Sun City Hotel is set to enter a new era of hospitality excellence with its upgrade – not just the beating heart but the beaming face of Sun City.