Sun International Shuts Down All Its Hotels And Resorts
Sun International Shuts Down All Its Hotels And Resorts. Sun International has taken the decision to temporarily shut down all its hotels and resorts, including Sun City and Wild Coast Sun, following the announcement of the new level 4 lockdown restrictions.
Graham Wood, group chief operating officer for hospitality at Sun International told Business Tech that the restrictions on Gauteng in particular – with a ban of travel in and out of the province – exacerbate the issue. “The new regulations require our casinos and restaurants to close – but given the new restrictions on leisure travel into and out of Gauteng, alcohol, and the curfew, our hotels and resorts will struggle to operate, so we have taken a decision to temporarily close them too,” he said.
“We are mindful that the government is concerned about the risk of transmission and the need to curtail the rise in new infections. However, these restrictions will have a further negative impact on our tourism industry, the thousands of people employed and the surrounding local communities,” Wood added.
Sun International Hotels Limited is a resort hotel chain and casino destination from South Africa created by Sol Kerzner, best known for its Sun City Resort near Rustenburg in the North West Province. Specialising in gaming, hospitality and entertainment, the company owns 42.5% of the South African casino market. Sun International Hotels is headquartered in the Bahamas, on Paradise Island, which is the world’s largest island resort, 70% of which is owned by the company. Sun International was incorporated in South Africa in 1967 and also runs a head office in Sandton, Johannesburg.
Their hotel business traces its roots back to 1969, when the Southern Sun Hotel Company was created when South African Breweries and South African businessman Sol Kerzner joined forces. By 1983, Southern Sun Hotels was operating 35 hotels, and generating a net income of $35 million. At this time, South African Breweries split its hotel interests into two; Sun International, headed by Sol Kerzner, retained all of the casino hotels located in the areas that South Africa had designated as “independent homelands” and had Southern Sun as a 20% stakeholder. Sol Kerzner sold all of his shares in Southern Sun to focus on Sun International (South Africa). Southern Sun retained the company’s other hotels in South Africa, and remained focused on the hotel market rather than casinos. 1984 saw the commencement of Kersaf Investments Limited, a company that took great interest in Sun International (South Africa).
