“I distinctly remember arriving at the hotel at six in the morning on 1 April 1989. Excited as I was to be running one of the country’s best known hotels, I approached my new role with trepidation as she was in need of a lot of care and attention”, says Nick.
He recalls how what had once been the most immaculate hotel in Southern Africa had then become a little tired, and how he set about implementing changes to help her reclaim her timeless elegance and flawless reputation.
“My biggest and most rewarding challenge was to make the hotel more accessible to the local market. We managed to accomplish this through an extensive refurbishment and by introducing what has become our world famous Afternoon Tea buffet, restructuring our restaurants and their food concepts and opening the Planet Champagne and Cocktail Bar, which has become the city’s celebrity hotspot”, he reminisces.
Other highlights include playing host to some of the world’s most colourful characters, opening the Orient-Express Safari Camps in Botswana in 1992, and launching Mount Nelson Hotel’s sister property The Westcliff in Johannesburg in 1998.
And his most memorable occasion yet?
“The hotel closed for six months in 1993 to undergo repairs to damages incurred by an electrical fire, and when it reopened, the entire staff contingent lined up along Palm Avenue and gave me a surprise welcome when I arrived. It was such a touching gesture symbolic of the hotel’s warmth and hospitality - something which inspires many of our guests to remark that coming back to the hotel is like coming home”.
FAST FACTS
Ten things you didn’t know about Nick Seewer…
Best Cape Town restaurant? Constantia Uitsig (and Cape Colony at Mount Nelson Hotel!).
Best restaurant/s in the world? The Waterside in Bray and Per Se in New York.
Favourite thing to do in Cape Town on a Sunday? As little as possible – possibly a braai.
Best airline travelled? Singapore Airlines. South African Airlines is also excellent.
Favourite city in the world? Lausanne in Switzerland.
Your top five travel essentials? A good book; tooth brush; coloured suitcase markers; t-shirts, shorts and sandals!
Favourite hotel in the world (apart from MNH)? The magical Cipriani Hotel in Venice.
Your most memorable holiday? An unbelievable visit to Cuba with my son.
Your most precious possession/s? My children – and some wonderful memories.
If you weren’t an hotelier, who/what would you be? A famous actor!
