INTERVIEW WITH ADAM FULLER
2017 was a big year for Southern Sun Resorts, says Operations Director Adam Fuller – but 2018 is set to be even more action-packed, with plans ahead for taking the timeshare experience to a new level. Ed: We’ve launched into a new year, but let’s first look at where we’ve launched from. What were the stand-out things you did for timeshare owners in 2017? Adam: There was a lot of action at all our resorts, and 2018’s going to be another busy, exciting year. • At Sabi River Sun we redeveloped the golf clubhouse, put up a new golf shop and doubled the size of the swimming pool. We now have a brilliant new facility in place: a new deck overlooking the fairways, a new kitchen, new food and beverage offerings … It’s gone down exceptionally well with the owners and guests. • At Umhlanga Sands, we commenced on a maintenance project in which we’ve been painting the resort’s exterior and reinforcing the integrity of concrete structures, which can take strain in coastal weather. This is still ongoing. Inside, we installed low-rise lifts to improve access to different levels of the resort for people, such as the elderly, with restricted mobility. Then, for the kids, we introduced a fantastic water feature, with slides and fountains and more. • At Beacon Island, among many other things, we upgraded the conference meeting-room. It’s modern, has a lovely feel, and can be used for events and dinners. We also upgraded the water system to make sure guests can always have a good, hot shower, but without having to let the water run for a long time before it heats up: this is great for energy and water-saving in a very drought-conscious South Africa. And who can forget the terrible fires we had in Knysna and Plett? BI played a central role in the recovery efforts, helping firefighters and people who’d evacuated their homes. It was a key event, and it showed that we’re part of the community and committed to it. • At Pine Lake Resort, we appointed a new
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Ready – get set – go!
then test-drive them for six months to a year to see how well they wear-and-tear and to get feedback before we roll out the refurb to all the other units. Because we use owners’ funds for this, we want to be sure ahead of time that we’ll be enhancing their investment. Ed: You’re referring to everyone’s good friend, levies …? Adam: [Laughs.] Levies are a fact of life: they are how we as Southern Sun Resorts are able to do what we do. We have an extremely low level of levies outstanding, which tells me two things. First, that we have an efficient collection method, and second, that people are satisfied to pay their levies, because they know their money is going to be looked after and used well. It’s a huge endorsement for us. Ed: Speaking of which, then, what’s on the cards for 2018? Adam: It’s a busy year, as I say. In Umhlanga Sands, for example, we’re doing a “soft” refurbishment, but soft or not, it’s a big resort and a big job. Here, the focus is on beds, curtains, upholstery, and so on. The resort’s had a mock-up room for about a year, so we’re really confident about this – and at Beacon Island we also have a similar refurbishment going into test phase.
general manager, Thuso Moroe, who’s settling in extremely well and doing a lot in particular on the entertainment front. Apart from fitting roof-covering over braai areas, we’ve begun refurbishing the chalets. This first phase involved setting up two mock-up rooms, after which we’ll be rolling out the new-look chalets.
Ed: What exactly are “mock-up rooms”? Adam: When we do our refurbishments, we work with designers and so on, but nothing can tell you better than a mock-up what the new chalet will actually look and feel like. We take a couple of units, re-do them to the design specs,
Inside and out, we want to keep the resorts looking pristine, modern, bright and sparkly. What we’re doing, overall, is future-proofing them. And as part of this, we’re not just looking at how to enhance our restaurant services and the like, but so too our digital capacity, our internet connectivity. Things are forever changing on this front, and we want to keep pace with the technology as well as the new generation – the children – who are growing up with it so that we make sure we’re delivering what the timesharer of tomorrow wants. In this vein, here’s a sneak preview: This year we’ll be doing a lot of work on our entertainment and activity programmes across all the resorts. Stay tuned for updates!
RESORT DIRECTORY • 2018