Best of the best
Royal St Andrews Hotel wins The 2018 Lilizela Tourism Award – “The Best of the Best Hotels In The Eastern Cape”
The Royal St Andrews Hotel was announced winner of the 2018 Lilizela Best of the Best Hotels in the Eastern Cape, at a glittering awards ceremony held in East London on Thursday, September 20.
The Lilizela Tourism Awards are mainly consumer-based. A total of 80% of the scoring is based on direct consumer reviews and consumer feedback on various platforms, including votes on the Lilizela Tourism Awards website and TripAdvisor scores received directly from guests on departure.
The Royal St Andrews Hotel owners, Martin and Linda Bekker, and management are most proud of this achievement, which recognises the creative thinking and design which has gone into a significant investment in the region that has delivered world class accommodation and facilities available at the Royal St Andrews Hotel. It also recognises the deep level of passion and commitment that general manager Difford Louw and his team place every day on service and quality excellence to ensure that every guest experiences “Gracious Hospitality”, the brand promise of The Royal St Andrews Hotel.
“The focus of the Lilizela Tourism Awards is to recognise outstanding service among accommodation and other tourism establishments, products and services,” minister of tourism Derrick Hanekom said at the event.
“The awards are an opportunity to celebrate professionalism, creativity and innovation in the industry. The larger the mix of entries, the greater the opportunity to showcase the variety of unique and authentic experiences that South Africa has to offer.”
Reflecting on the award and their significant investment made in the hotel and in the Port Alfred economy just a few years ago, the Bekkers are pleased that the award recognises and supports a greater and longer-term dream that Martin has for the Port Alfred area, its economy and people. “My dream is to expose as many people to Port Alfred as possible, contributing to a change in perception, turning the area into a destination and not a “pass through” or a little spot on the map,” he said.