One of the highlights for the organisers of the Cape Town Cycle Tour (CTCT), the world’s largest timed cycling race, is the VIP dinner that is held prior to the race. The dinner provides an opportunity for the primary sponsors and partners, international visitors and media to network. It is also used as the platform to inform all parties about where the funds raised by the CTCT Trust will be donated for that year. The trust is owned by the Pedal Power Association (PPA) and Rotary Club of Claremont and, each year, all surplus funds are divided equally between PPA and Rotary.
The venue needed to be an outdoor space that could be transformed into an elegant dining experience. It had to embrace the beauty and magic of a perfect summer’s evening in Cape Town.
Why Southern Sun the Cullinan?
Offering exceptional service, warm hospitality and breathtaking views, Southern Sun The Cullinan was an obvious choice for the CTCT VIP dinner.
Meeting and Event Spaces – Elegance and style is evident in the hotel’s marbled foyer, with its majestic columns and lavish decor, rich furnishings and intricate metalwork. This provided the ideal backdrop for the registration and welcome drinks. The gala dinner was held on the secluded and spectacular pool deck. It was a perfect fit – a stylish design with a beautiful pool as a centrepiece, luscious palm trees and a breath-taking view of the night sky were exactly what the organiser had
envisioned. In addition to the pool deck, there are nine flexible venues and event spaces on offer at the hotel.
Meeting rooms offer private, fully serviced facilities for smaller groups of 12 or less, while reception areas are able to host up to 155 guests with ease. There is also ample parking.
Catering – At Southern Sun The Cullinan, the chefs are culinary visionaries. They are leaders in their field; they stay on top of international culinary trends and display creativity with their menus. The chefs and management took the time to fully understand what the organiser wanted to achieve with this function and they designed a unique menu based on that. The menu tasting, that the hotel provides before event day is always an exceptional experience.
Accommodation – The hotel’s 394 stately en-suite hotel bedrooms provided any guests who decided to stay the night an atmosphere of comfort and relaxation.
There are 18 luxury suites that include a butler station as well as a fully stocked mini-bar.
Entertainment – The hotel’s in-house pianist played during the guest arrivals and during intervals. The main act was four members of the Heavenly Quartez – who all grew up in Khayelitsha – who added a little drama to the evening with their heavenly voices.
Part of a Family
The attitude of all the staff is obviously a reflection of the hotel’s progressive leadership – the staff are friendly, welcoming and always prepared to go the extra mile. It sounds like a cliché – but at Southern Sun The Cullinan, you truly are made to feel like part of a family. In all the years of working with general manager Garry Reed, food and beverage manager Lindsay Venn, and Joan Barker from banqueting, the organiser boasts that her decor, event layout or menu ideas have never been met with a “no”.
“The team are always interested in embracing new ideas and are quick, enthusiastic, and ready to contribute even bigger ideas. Even the mention of synchronised swimmers in the pool or a violinist in a bubble floating on the pool could not evoke panic or any degree of flinching from Garry,” says the organiser.
