Hello Teevee
It doesn't all sound quite so doom and gloom:
Off the wire today:
July 27, 1999 10:03
Starwood Opens Its First Hotel in South Africa: 175-Room Sheraton Pretoria Hotel & Towers
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., July 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., one of the world's leading hotel companies, is making its debut in South Africa with today's opening of the Sheraton Pretoria Hotel and Towers. The hotel, owned by Kharafi Holdings Ltd. of Kuwait, is being managed by Sheraton Hotels and Resorts.
"This is the hotel built for the new millennium," says Sami Zoghbi, president of Starwood's Africa, India and Middle East division. "The property will become an integral part of the meeting and conference market in South Africa."
Located opposite the landmark Union building, which is the office of the country's president, the hotel has 175 rooms including 36 tower rooms, seven diplomatic and nine junior suites, and one presidential suite with a spectacular view of the Union Buildings. One floor is designed for members of the company's Starwood Preferred Guest program.
"Pretoria is a city where guests demand exceptional quality and the highest international standards," says general manager Klaus Gurny. "This is what we are delivering with the Sheraton Pretoria Hotel and Towers."
"Starwood is offering the most sophisticated meeting and conference facilities in South Africa," adds Zoghbi. "In addition, banqueting and hospitality at the Sheraton Pretoria Hotel and Towers will be second to none."
The hotel's two Jacaranda ballrooms are expected to be popular venues for elite conferences and seminars. All auditoriums and conference rooms offer slide and overhead projectors, flip chart, screen, Barco system and video conference connections.
International cuisine will be featured in Via Veneto, an ultra-modern Italian/Mediterranean restaurant that features Spanish paellas, Italian pizzas, Lebanese mezzas and fresh seafood. For nightlife, the hotel offers bars, lounges, an outdoor terrace restaurant, round-the-clock dining, a ragtime jazz club and Stars Studio nightclub, a satellite operation a few blocks from the hotel, managed by Sheraton.
Nearby attractions include the Pretoria Zoo, shopping centers, the Sammy Marks Museum, the Museum of Natural History, Church Square and several golf courses. Guests also may visit private game reserves and the Sterkfontein caves.
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