Imagine having to book into a hotel only to find out that there isn’t any electricity.
That is the pain guests at top Pretoria hotel Sheraton hotel went through.
The University of Pretoria temporarily escaped disconnection at one of its campuses after declaring a dispute with the municipality.
The City of Tshwane said its debtors’ book stood at more than R17bn. This includes R1.3bn owed by government departments and embassies, R4bn owed by businesses and R8bn by residential owners.
The Sheraton’s general manager, Pascal Fouquet, said a number of guests had left after the electricity was cut.
“We do have some of our regulars, but a huge number are leaving. We are losing a lot of money,” he said, but would not give a figure.
He said the hotel was being powered by a generator. “But it does not cover everything.
It is safe to stay at the hotel; it’s not the best for now, but it is safe,” he added.
When the Sunday Times visited the hotel, four guests were checking out, saying they had cut their stay short due to the electricity problem.
Fouquet said Covid restrictions have taken a toll on the business.
“We tried to follow government recommendations and did not retrench anybody. We all took salary cuts to make this business survive. We are trying to rebuild but we do have debts,” he said.
“We did try to engage with the city and resolve it before. I don’t know if what the city is doing is the best way to resolve this.”
Fouquet said although the staff were hurt and stressed, they were supportive.
“We want to survive, we don’t want to be out of jobs. Nobody does.”
He said that if the hotel had to close down, at least 300 staff would be out of work.
Fouquet said the hotel has now approached the courts.
Mike Mabunda, a taxi driver operating outside the hotel, said he hopes the hotel will be reconnected.
“I don’t get clients any more. I used to get five to six a day. I am losing between R900 and R1,700 a day.
“I noticed that there is no movement in the hotel like there usually is. It’s just a few people coming in, then out, and we don’t know if they booked in or they just cancelled,” he said.
Siyabonga Nkosi, who washes guests’ cars outside the hotel, said he and a friend usually got 14 customers a day.
He said he had noticed that a lot of people had checked out of the hotel since the power was cut.
A guest who had just checked out and did not want to be named said: “It’s very bad because you can’t really do anything when there is no electricity. It represents bad business.
“They don’t serve everything that’s on the menu because obviously they can’t make that, and you can’t get coffee or any hot beverages.”
The City of Tshwane says it is preparing comprehensive legal responses to companies that are challenging disconnections.
Source: https://www.timeslive.co.za/sunday-times/news/2022-02-13-guests-quit-pretoria-sheraton-after-city-cuts-electricity-over-unpaid-bills/
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