The Nicol – Urban Hip Hotels’ flagship Bedfordview establishment – has entrenched itself as part of the football mania sweeping South Africa. That’s because its playing host to The Green and Gold Army, supporters of Australia’s Socceroos.
Jeremy Singleton, General Manager of The Nicol, explains that the hotel welcomed the first of the 340 Australian fans on Wednesday 9 June, with additional supporters from Melbourne, Perth and Sydney arriving over the following two days. They were given a warm South African greeting by the hotel’s staff choir, and given a taste of the cosmopolitan vibe infusing South Africa during the FIFA 2010 World Cup with a lobby proudly displaying the flags of participating nations. Meanwhile, the Bedfordview community brought even more festiveness to the occasion by hosting a street party in the suburb’s main entertainment node.
Singleton informs that The Nicol has been on stand-by for the arrival of the Green and Gold Army for two years, which is when the tour group first made its booking. “The travel agent conducted a number of fact finding missions to ascertain which hotel would best serve the group,” he notes. With its convenient location, spacious rooms and self-catering facilities, it’s not surprising that The Nicol emerged as the ideal choice.
The guests will be staying until 30 June, and will be following their team to venues throughout South Africa as the tournament progresses. As such, a trip to Durban to watch Australia take on Germany will be followed by similar outings to Rustenburg and Nelspruit.
Since this is the largest group that The Nicol has accommodated, and for the longest time, the hotel has made special efforts to ensure that world-class service is provided. For instance, a special information desk has been set up, along with an office so that the group has the appropriate infrastructure to ensure that arrangements for additional tours proceed smoothly.
Added to this, the hotel upped its staff complement, and organised the employees of its laundry contractor to be available for weekend duty. The hotel’s independent coffee shop also reconfigured operations. These measures have ensured that The Nicol is able to respond to the every need of the sizable tourist group, and that normal operations proceed smoothly.
And the efforts have paid off. Singleton reports that The Nicol has received extremely positive feedback from the guests, who have commented on being very impressed.
Importantly, he acknowledges that by ramping up operations during the FIFA 2010 World Cup, The Nicol will be well placed to serve other large groups in the future. “We’re learning new things every day, and are looking forward to applying them to improve our offering for all guests,” Singleton says.
Yet a further positive spin-off the hotel is enjoying as hosts of the Green and Gold Army is the exposure that has been granted by an Australian television network which is following the group on their South African travels, and submitting live broadcasts from the hotel.
“There’s been an incredible atmosphere – the fans are thoroughly enjoying their South African experience,” Singleton says, adding that apart from participating in traditional tourist activities, the group has organised to interact with the larger community and has arranged for meetings with local representatives of the Red Cross. “They want to have an authentic insight into Johannesburg life,” he explains.
“We’re most honoured to be hosting a group like this, and are very happy to look after them for the duration of their stay,” Singleton concludes.
