But it is equally important to note that many of these international stars returned multiple times and some, like Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson and Bobby Brown, came incognito to simply holiday at The Palace,” he said. “Since then the list has grown to include many illustrious names such as Sting, Pavarotti, Wesley Snipes, Stevie Wonder, Arnold Schwarzenegger and many more. Hoppé said the opening of The Palace was a glittering affair attended by many celebrities who were big names at the time, including Bo Derek, Jerry Hall and Joan Collins, musician Jean-Michel Jarre, who performed that night, and local legends Hugh Masekela and Johnny Clegg and his band Savuka. Well over 300 famous performers and heads of state have stayed at the hotel, from the legendary British rock band Queen to Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, to name but a few. Over the past 30 years, The Palace has accommodated the rich and the famous, royalty, rock stars and ordinary South Africans. The tapestries in the Royal Entrance Chamber behind the concierge and the reception desk took two years to weave. The African landscape painted on the underside of a dome ceiling at the entrance apparently took nine artists nearly 5,000 hours to complete, while hand-painted murals cover an area of 3,400m 2. The King's Suite, which look set to be the main attraction, contains 800 unique custom-crafted items, including fabrics and carpeting. The hotel’s architecture and décor seamlessly weave a rich and colourful tale of Africa’s creativity, from the hand-painted dome ceiling in the grand entrance to mosaic artworks and golden seats upholstered with zebra hide.

We managed to come up with something that is contemporary but still pays homage to the essence of The Palace,” Hoppé said. “We didn’t want to lose the essence of what The Palace is.

He said The Palace was always a difficult hotel to refurbish because it’s “so stylishly themed”. Sun City general manager Brett Hoppé said he was proud that the hotel, which was at one point almost entirely staffed by international management, was now entirely staffed by South Africans.

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