Inside Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town: An Interview with their GM
A calm oasis set beneath the gaze of Cape Town’s Table Mountain, Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town has been captivating visitors since it first opened its doors in 1899. Now run by General Manager Tiago Sarmento, it continues to flourish and is set for another busy year ahead, including hosting our upcoming Q2 Event in Cape Town.
Tiago joined Belmond back in 2016 as General Manager of Hotel das Cataratas before quickly moving on to lead the renovation and strategic opening of Cap Juluca on the Caribbean Island of Anguilla. After Cap Juluca's incredible success, Belmond suggested Tiago steer his energy onto "The Pink Lady" where he has been reimagining and redesigning, together with his team, the Nellie's food and beverage concepts as well as the overall portfolio of experiences inside and outside the resort.
Tiago Sarmento
General Manager, Mount Nelson, A Belmond Hotel, Cape Town
InVOYAGE: What inspired you to get into hospitality, and when did you know you wanted to be the GM of a hotel?
Tiago: I was born in Portugal and was part of a conservative family in Porto. Travelling abroad was not on the menu until I decided to jump on a train to visit a dear uncle who was a GM of a luxury hotel in San Sebastian, Spain. As I saw my uncle in his element (who has just retired from this long career as a GM) I knew right away that being of service and traveling through the world while connecting with different cultures was my life goal.
InVOYAGE: You’ve been at the helm of Belmond hotels in both the Caribbean and in South America prior to your move to Cape Town. Are there moments that stand out as having significantly inspired you over that time?
Tiago: Both Anguilla and Iguassu are and always will be very special places in my heart, bringing me extraordinary memories and the inspiration to continuously seek to be a better human being and leader on a daily basis. Both places – for different reasons – have a natural energy that is hard to beat in the world - the 250 waterfalls in front of Hotel das Cataratas are breath-taking, and while very different, bring about a sense of perplexity. Then you have the turquoise ocean and white sand of Anguilla – some of the very best beaches in the world. Both of these natural places are very well represented by unique and genuine people at our Belmond properties who I will always carry in my heart and who are extremely dedicated to our guests and people.
InVOYAGE: Can you tell us a bit about your move to head up the Mount Nelson. How do you feel it is placed to serve incentives and events?
Tiago: Cape Town is another special place on Earth. Probably the most beautiful city in the world! It’s natural setting between the ocean and Table Mountain, right next to the wine country and its friendly people that blends an enormous diversity of cultures make this place a unique opportunity for any event or incentive. Mount Nelson is extremely privileged, as it offers 198 rooms placed in a resort of 9 acres of land right in the heart of the City - next to Kloof Street, the Bohemian neighbourhood of the Mother City. The “Nellie” as our guests like to call it, has a site inspection conversion rate of 99% - meaning very few events planners go away empty handed!
InVOYAGE: Walking around the hotel, you cannot escape its incredible history. Can you give us a brief sense of this?
Tiago: The hotel opened in 1899 to provide accommodation for the First-Class passengers of the famous Union-Castle Shipping Lines. Sir Donald Currie, the owner of the Union-Castle lines, vowed he would open up a hotel as famous and as distinguished as the Savoy, or Claridges, and so he did! For the past 124 years the hotel has been welcoming discerning visitors to Cape Town and is now recognised as the most iconic hotel in the city with is rosy hue (painted pink in 2018 to celebrate the end of the Great War) and nearly one-hundred-year-old palm-lined avenue, 9 acres of gardens and magnificent views of Table Mountain and Lion's Head.
InVOYAGE: How important is sustainability at the Pink Lady?
Tiago: It's very important and informs many of our business decisions. Every year we intensify our efforts to become more and more sustainable. This year, we partnered with EarthCheck and we’ve already gained our Bronze Status ... next up: Silver! Examples of some of our sustainable practices include: feeding our organic kitchen waste to the worms in our worm farm which in turn produces fertiliser (worm tea) for our beautiful flowering gardens. We have a zero-waste outlook in our kitchens, in fact we offer our guests the opportunity to enjoy a "Wasted" menu which has been created solely out of previously discarded ingredients - such as watermelon rinds to make jam and carrot tops to make pesto etc. We also source many of our vegetables from community farmers to ensure it's fresh, organic and seasonal, whilst also providing a source of income for the small farmers. We refill our shower and bath amenities, and we do not wash towels and linen every day unless specifically requested. The list goes on and on!
InVOYAGE: Have you had any time to explore beyond Cape Town since you’ve been here?
Tiago: Absolutely, I have been very blessed to be able to explore the city and the country! Cape Town has a never-ending number of restaurants, bars, wineries, beaches, places for kids to play and places for adults to play! There is always so much more to do in Cape Town – more than most people could even dream of. Once you've visited the Mother City for the first time, you're guaranteed to come back! I visited for the first time four years ago with my wife, Mariana, we knew we would be back - and here we are now, with the family, hopefully for many more years to come!
Belmond Mount Nelson will be hosting our upcoming inVOYAGE Event as we head up to Cape Town in June later this year.
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