Ushering in a new era for Sun City

Raul de Lima

Prior to joining Sun International, de Lima worked for an international franchise company for 20 years during which he fulfilled executive obligations. Having been involved in and responsible for the establishment of franchise businesses in more than 25 countries over a period of 15 years, he has extensive international experience coupled with a comprehensive understanding of the many facets of the industry.

De Lima joined Sun International at the beginning of 2014 with a mandate to insource and establish the company’s food and beverage business. Over the past two years, he managed a team which insourced around 2,500 employees and developed various restaurant concepts. The newly insourced food and beverage business are well poised for growth.

During this period, he spent considerable time at Sun City, gaining intricate knowledge and understanding of the resort, with an emphasis on constantly improving hospitality at Sun City. To firmly establish the resort as a destination for gastronomical adventure, various new signature restaurants have opened, while many others have been refurbished.

De Lima says: “The successes we are enjoying are due to the focus on engaging and building an effective and united food and beverage community, reigniting passion, and ensuring that our people feel part of the business.”

Looking ahead

Looking ahead, de Lima’s aspiration is to apply this approach and ethos to the resort as a whole.

“Sun City is an iconic property in the process of transformation from a product, proposition, business and profitability point of view. Our vision is to surpass Sun City’s yesteryear while still tapping into the nostalgia and never forgetting what made Sun City great. We are expanding on Sol Kerzner’s vision when he first imagined the destination and the value it would bring to South Africa. We are building on Sun City’s iconic positioning and everything it has to offer, and amplify it,” says de Lima.

“Our people remain key to this vision. We will continue investing in our people to ensure that they understand the role that they play in the strategy. It is important that we create a culture that is connected to the brand, and that we deliver our brand promise, Creating Lasting Memories, to our guests. This will form the foundation for Sun City reaching its goals. In essence, it’s about consistently delivering service, value propositions, and quality consistency.”

“Sun City’s success and sustainability is inextricably linked with that of its surrounding communities and service providers. The resort is a significant asset to the North West Province, both as a tourism destination and as a contributor to the local economy.

“Within our ranks, success will be buoyed by ordinary people making extraordinary contributions, through a shared vision, mission and values, and an absolute commitment to delivering superior customer service.

De Lima concludes: “Constantly delivering on our brand promise to guests will ensure that we can take pride in a world class destination, with all the many attractions and facilities it offers. On a personal level, I thrive on challenges and I am excited about the prospect of taking something in its rebuilding phase, and growing it.”