Durban - Finding myself at the Hilton Hotel’s top floor presidential suite, I only had one thought in my mind. Gushing over the sheer opulence before my eyes, I found myself thinking about reincarnation and how I would be rich and famous in my next lifetime so I could get to live the good life.
As I moved around the spacious house within a room, I finally understood what people meant when they spoke of experiencing heaven on Earth.
Offering a view of the whole of Durban, the magnificent suite has enough room for a small army. A private lounge with a television set the size of a deep freezer, a king-sized bed and a state-of-the-art bathroom, the stylish room prides itself with its quirky and classic ornaments.
Adorned with timeless antique mirrors and a vast collection of art, the presidential suite has every conceivable luxury. A personal butler to prepare all your meals, a mini massage machine in the bathroom and a “secret” door which inter-leads to another room for security personnel are just some of the extras.
Standing on the balcony, which comes complete with fresh flowers, beach chairs and umbrellas, you get an uninterrupted view of Durban.
It’s little wonder then that international actor and comedian John Cleese chose the room to shoot his TV advert when he was in the country two months ago.
Julie Nolan, the hotel’s administration manager, gave The Independent on Saturday a tour of the hotel after it was named the best business hotel in Africa at the 2013 World Travel Awards recently.
Located next to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, the Hilton Durban has 10 meeting venues, a ballroom, 327 rooms including standard rooms, suites and the presidential suite.
Rooms range from R888 a night per couple sharing and bookings have to be made in advance, said Nolan.
The hotel this month launched free wi-fi in the public areas for guests.
It is such facilities that have over the past 16 years seen the hotel set the standard when it comes to conferencing, said Operations Manager Evan Harrington.
The Hilton brand currently includes more than 530 hotels and resorts in 76 countries.
Asked what sets the hotel apart from its competitors, Harrington said their over 350 “dedicated” staff members’ sense of urgency and discipline towards guests is what separates them from similar establishments.
The accolade, he said, is a tribute to the team’s dedication and passion in providing an exceptional guest experience.
“Our team understands that it’s imperative to excel at the basics while offering value-added services,” Harrington said. “We believe every guest should feel like a VIP when visiting the hotel.”
The Hilton also boasts several other accolades, including being named the country’s favourite hotel at the South Africa TO Travel Awards 2013. It was also the recipient of the Coffee Excellence award by the Specialty Coffee Association of SA last year, and a TripAdvisor award of excellence in 2011. In September the hotel introduced Thursday Night Live – free weekly sessions of comedy, live music, touring acts and good food. The innovation, said Harrington, had had a positive impact on the hotel’s foot traffic, while playing a vital role in the success of the hotel.
“We believe in supporting Durban’s local artists and performers and providing them with a regular platform to entertain our guests enables us to showcase local talent to people from all over the world.”
It was another busy day when The Independent on Saturday visited the hotel this week, with guests mingling in the lobby lounge café, while others looked for gifts in the souvenir shop and two clothing and jewellery stores situated on the ground floor.
The hotel also has a hairdressing salon, Hair Sensations, owned by hairstylist Shirley Naidoo who has won countless hair awards. She is best known for being the official Miss World Indian hairstylist.
If you’re in a mood for some pampering after a long business meeting or workshop, there’s Unique Spa Treatment, which offers guests massages and manicures.
Hertz Rent a car and Mbali’s florists, and Exhibition photos, are some of the other in-house services offered by the hotel.
With a history spanning 16 years, the hotel has hosted a wide range of national and international prestigious events. This comes with the benefit of being interlinked with the Durban ICC, which has seen the hotel being the venue of choice for many dignitaries who attend international conferences.
“For such big events we have a cart service which takes our guests to and from the ICC,” said Nolan.
Harrington said the most exciting event the hotel had hosted recently was the Brics summit last year, which included hosting 16 Heads of State.
“We even had to turn around four-course meals in 35 minutes to accommodate the busy itineraries of the heads of state,” he said.
When it comes to cuisine the hotel has one of the best executive chefs in David Goette, who recently travelled to Dubai to compete in the F&B Masters, an annual competition that aims to celebrate culinary creativity and original mixology across the region.
Chef Goette came second.
“I love cooking for Durban people,” said Goette, originally from the US. “They enjoy and love their food and are not complicated.”
Goette said the hotel was always looking for new ways to tempt its guests’ palates and offers three themed buffet dinners each week including traditional African cuisine every Wednesday, a prawn fiesta with in-house DJ and dance floor every Friday and curry evenings every Saturday.
Instead of ordering a meal from the a la carte menu, I decided to sample every food item on the buffet table. This included cinnamon rice, cauliflower in blue cheese, potato Lyonnise, and lamb curry which was a bit spicy for my sensitive palate.
The butter chicken curry was moist and creamy, while the peri-peri chicken had the right amount of spices and fell off the bone easily.
The crispy potatoes were roasted to perfection.
As full as I was I had to make room for dessert which consisted of a crunchy brownie, delicately flavoured orange cheese cake and strawberry ice cream.
The buffet meal is R155 for adults, half price for children under 12 and free for children five years and younger.
After the meal, I decided to soak up the sun on the pool deck.
Spending two hours at the hotel gave me a glimpse of a day in a life of the rich and famous. - Independent on Saturday