The Sweet Service Award goes to 221 Waterfront restaurant, in the Victoria Wharf in the V&A, and its Public Relations consultant Annette Ashley, for a wonderful dinner of a prawn and avocado handroll, a main course of duck, and a lovely bottle of Hartenberg 2005 Shiraz, with efficient service, and an evening of chatting. Ms Ashley’s hard work has put the restaurant on the map, with an Australian soccer group signing up the restaurant for 3 weeks for its catering and meeting needs during the 2010 World Cup.
The Sour Service Award goes to Cape Town Tourism and MediaNova, the publishing company, which was appointed by Cape Town Tourism to produce its Visitors’ Guide for 2010. Cape Town Tourism regularly changes its Visitors’ Guide publisher, and this means a new learning curve for each publisher, and an irritation for the members of Cape Town Tourism who advertise in the Guide. The current issue’s accommodation ad design is completely ineffectual, in that the tiny type size of the copy in the 1/16th ads is barely legible, especially the name of each establishment. The company also forgot to allow a line for the street address in the contact details! The Guide still has not been published, being more than a month behind schedule. The lack of management by Cape Town Tourism over the production of this Guide is most irresponsible!
The WhaleTales Sweet & Sour Service Awards are presented every Friday on the WhaleTales blog. Nominations for the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be sent to Chris von Ulmenstein at info@whalecottage.com. Past winners of the Sweet and Sour Service Awards can be read on the Friday posts of this blog, and in the WhaleTales newsletters on the www.whalecottage.com website.
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I’m astounded at Medianova’s Visitors Guide they brought out this year. From the conflicting information, date changes, back cover to narrow, undersized gutter (you have to force the page open to read the text)and numerous faux pas in between, it has been a comedy of errors.
I am especially concerned that they expect a tourist picking up a brochure, to find access a computer to locate the street address of the establishment(that is if they can find a brochure at Cape Town Tourism – you have to ask for it as it is hidden under a shelf).
For the last 2 or 3 years the Visitors Guide has been a shambles. Please can they find a decent publisher or go back to the old one that did a sterling job.
Hi Chris, in fact the Cape Town Official Visitors’ Guide for 2010 has met all deadlines as outlined in the publishing schedule. The First Edition was published as planned in time for WTM London in November 2009, and the revised and updated Second Edition is on track to be distributed from 25 May 2010. The 2010 Cape Town Official Visitors’ guide, published by Cape Town Tourism in partnership with Media Nova, has been the most successful ever, with 170 000 of the initial print run of 200 000 already distributed, and re-orders flooding in. As regards the classifieds ads, we agree that the design can be improved and have remedied this, along with other constructive feedback and suggestions, for the Second Edition. Lianne Burton, Executive Manager, Marketing, Cape Town Tourism
Thank you for your comment Lianne. You appear to have replied to the Sour Award, rather than address the comment from Lisa, as requested of you.
I am concerned that it took the notification of the Sour Award for the Cape Town Tourism Visitors’ Guide in the WhaleTales newsletter just over a week ago for anyone at MediaNova and Cape Town Tourism to react to the complaint contained in the Sour Award, and communicated during the production process on numerous occasions a few months ago! I look forward to receiving my copy of the Guide. MediaNova called, and seemed unaware of Cape Town Tourism members’ dissatisfaction!
[…] * 221 Waterfront: 3-course meal and live music R135 on Wednesdays. Dine & Cruise package: 1,5 hour cruise, 2 glasses sparkling wine, 3-course meal R 370; Lunch & Cruise package: 1 hour cruise and meal R210. Until 30 April. Tel (021) 418-3633 […]