Luxury Santé hotel shuts down
2007-03-15
THREE weeks ago you could still have five-star pampering at the Santé Winelands Hotel and Wellness Centre.
This week the luxury hotel stands deserted amid its gardens, vineyards and olive groves in Paarl South.
The curators of the fallen asset management company Fidentia,
owners of Santé, had pulled the plug on the internationally renowned spa.
The hotel was not making money when acquired by Fidentia for R88 million just over a year ago ago. It was still losing about R1 million a month when the curators stepped in.
It boasted 200 members of staff, including masseuses and beauticians in the spa section.
While retrenched Santé kitchen staff were last week carrying away perishables, other personnel were already job-hunting elsewhere.
Its former boss, Sandi Dekker, who allegedly pocketed a monthly income of about R130 000, had also been shown the door.
The dining room tables remained immaculately laid, beds remained turned down for guests, but not a single booking appeared on the hotel or spa lists.
The banqueting division was the first to have been closed down, leaving organisers of conferences and wedding couples scurrying for new venues.
At the lavish gates to the premises, security guards remain on duty as owners of homes on the estate still need to enter, but for them there will be no more candle-light dinners or tranquil spa treatments on their doorstep.
More
News
|
