Cape Town, South Africa, December 2008

In today’s quick-fix culture, it’s reassuring to know that there are still hotels where combined heartfelt hospitality and extraordinary service is an everyday occurrence.

Mount Nelson Hotel has an unusually high number of long-serving staff (at least 20 out of 180 permanent staff members have been with the hotel for over 15 years) – which may explain why the hotel has a reputation of offering unsurpassed service, which is warm and authentic and leaves guests feeling like they’re part of the family.

SYDNEY MOONSAMY, Hotel Lounge Waiter
Visitors enjoying Afternoon Tea at Mount Nelson Hotel will recognise Sydney by his speediness. A Grand Masters winner of Cape Town’s Big Walk, Sydney’s big passion is for speed-walking, as well as for people and service.

“I always try to serve my guests in the blink of an eye”, Sydney quips.
At 61 years of age he shows no sign of slowing down, choosing to power walk from his home near Muizenberg to the hotel most days – a 25 kilometre trek!

“My history with the hotel dates back to 1964 when my father moved here from Durban, so that he could work as Head Waiter in the hotel’s dining room. My dad taught me everything I know and always said that if a guest asks for a glass of water – be as quick as you can,” he continues.

Sydney embarked on his career at Mount Nelson Hotel 28 years ago, in 1981. He was originally offered a job at the hotel’s Grill Room, which was one of the city’s leading eateries at the time, but he asked to work in the lounge and Lord Nelson Bar (now the Lord Nelson Room) instead, so that he could enjoy the hotel’s garden setting. Nowadays you’ll find him weaving through the Hotel Lounge, stopping only to deliver aromatic pots of tea and delicious snacks to his guests, or to regale them with entertaining Big Walk anecdotes.

“I never take notes. I can remember up to 30 orders because I pay attention to what the guest is asking for.  I’ve served members of the royal family and other famous people, but to me everyone here is a VIP. I feel honoured to work at such a special place,” he says.

Sydney is so adept at remembering guests’ favourites, that it’s not unusual for regulars to call the hotel from the airport to ask Sydney to have their drinks ready upon arrival.

PAUL PILLAY, Hotel Lounge Supervisor
Paul has Mount Nelson Hotel in his blood. He is the third generation in his family to work at the hotel - his grandfather was Head Steward in the Hotel Lounge for 35 years and his father was a waiter at the Grill Room. Much has changed since then, but Mount Nelson Hotel’s service remains legendary. Paul believes that the secret to its success is the fact that everything revolves around the guest. He reminisces about how his father taught him to create a real sense of occasion for his guests.

“It’s important to be discreet and to put the guests’ needs first - to go the extra mile. I tell new staff at the hotel to bring the moon down to the guests if that’s what they ask for,” he explains.

Paul joined Mount Nelson Hotel 27 years ago, in 1982, when the hotel still catered primarily for the First Class passengers of the Union-Castle Line cruise ships. He worked at the Oasis Restaurant bar (now the Jigger Bar) and the Lord Nelson Bar, before moving across to the Hotel Lounge to oversee Afternoon Tea in 1995.

“I really enjoyed meeting John Cleese, Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, and the Queen of the Netherlands, but I meet interesting people who aren’t famous everyday – it’s one of the best parts of my job,” says Paul.

Paul’s regal countenance is as much a fixture in the Hotel Lounge, as the eponymous grand piano or the Windsor Table, decked out with its colourful selection of teatime treats.

“I wish the guests realised that nobody watches to see how much they’re eating. We just want them to relax and enjoy it – we’re all family after all,” he grins.

For more information and comment contact Nick Seewer, Managing Director of Orient-Express Hotels Africa on +27 0 21 483 1000 or email nseewer@mountnelson.co.za.

For press assistance contact Benita Kursan on +27 0 21 483 1930, email bkursan@mountnelson.co.za.
For more information on Orient-Express visit www.orient-express.com,