The elite Indian Premier League gets to experience Sol Kerzner’s newest luxury hotel in Cape Town, writes K S Shekhawat.
The world was already in meltdown mode when Sol Kerzner hosted what is probably the party of the decade, in September 2008, to launch The Palm, Dubai, the Kerzner group’s luxury resort at The Palm, Jumeirah. Hollywood and Bollywood A-listers, including Shah Rukh Khan, attended the glamorous opening, and it’s almost certain that even as you read this, Khan will probably have had his eyeful of the Victoria & Albert Waterfront from the One&Only Cape Town, Kezner’s latest luxury offering and the base for the elite IPL during its outing in South Africa.
Opened earlier this month, One&Only Cape Town is Kezner’s second property in his homeland - the first was the Palace of the Lost City in Pilanesberg in 1992, following which he went on to develop the Atlantis brand, which includes Atlantis, Paradise Island, a 2,900-room ocean-themed destination resort in The Bahamas. With luxury properties around the world, including the One&Only brand in select resort markets, Kelzner’s future developments include the construction of a 600-room, destination casino resort in Morocco that will open later this year to introduce yet another hospitality brand to the market.
What the key IPL team staying at One&Only Cape Town will experience includes three two-storey 800-sq m residential penthouses of four bedrooms each, with individual terraces and pools. According to Sol Kerzner, chairman and CEO of Kerzner International, the hotel’s “bold, contemporary design...make it one of the world’s leading luxury resort destinations”. Designed by Cape Town-based architects Dennis Fabian & Berman and Ruben Reddy as a seven-storey property overlooking the city’s waterfront district, its interiors have been created by New York-based Adam D Tihany.
What the cricket fraternity will experience are two of Cape Town’s most extraordinary restaurants for the first time ever on that continent — Gordon Ramsay’s seafood restaurant Maze, and Nobuyuki Matsuhisa’s award-winning Japanese restaurant Nobu. And feeding the senses will be artworks and sculpture — besides the commissioned art for the hotel, its mezannine level will house the contemporary art gallery Goodman Gallery in which artworks will be rotated six times a year and will feature emerging talent in photography, painting as well as sculpture.
The permanent display, however, includes three bronze sculptures in the lobby by Deborah Bell, Norman Catherine’s screens on either side of the reception area, and paintings by Walter Oltmann. Those who have contributed to the vast display of art in the restaurants, other public areas and suites include Berni Searle, Brett Murray, Paul Edmunds, as well as iconic South African artists Conrad Botes, Willem Boshoff, Andrew Putter, Guy Tillim, Jeremy Wafer, David Goldblatt and Peter Clarke.
Kezner says he wanted the resort to be designed in a way that was “contemporary whilst still drawing heavily on the rich African culture and heritage that has so greatly influenced my life”. He adds, “Much of the resort is inspired by my own love of Cape Town.” The resort captures the mood and spirit of modern South Africa while remaining faithful to its traditional culture, and has been designed to be part of the waterfront. Says Tihany, who designed the interiors, “In the four years we worked on this project, we lived the site, breathed the air, met the people, and absorbed the richness and variety that Cape Town has to offer — from nature to art to food and wine” — all of which have inspired the overall design.
The views of the waterfront from the lobby are rooted in the discreet sandstone floors and overall cream tones. An Africa-inspired metal balustrade separates the lobby from a lower lounge adorned with dark brown carpeting and Africa-inspired rugs. Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant uses chocolate brown walnut wood with materials in tones such as forest green and burgundy. Nobu’s fine dining concept is highlighted by a textured, translucent origami light fixture .
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The Marina Rise block houses the Presidential and Imperial Suites, both spanning over 2,730 square feet in red, brown and terracotta, complemented by touches of tropical green. Doors, windows and baseboards are in natural African oak wood, while bathroom furniture is stained a dark coffee. The Presidential Suite has a central dining area that is anchored with a series of six glass roundels by Conrad Botes. This South African uses a technique of painting on the reverse side of glass to achieve luminous images. The Imperial Suite has a wall sculpture by Willem Boshoff, South Africa’s best-known sculptor and conceptual artist.
Bridges link Marina Rise with two lush islands, one of which houses 40 villa suites, the other the resort’s spa. These suites and villas are in natural sand, brown and earthy green shades. Parquet floors in African caramel coloured Kiatt wood lead to the dressing area and bathroom.
They may enjoy the fireplaces and artworks and fine dining, but whether the IPL teams party at One&Only Cape Town will depend on the success of the tournament — else, there’s the landscaped spa in which to soak off their pains.
