Amazing Hotels: Life Beyond the Lobby (2017–…): Season 2, Episode 5 - The Silo, South Africa - full transcript

All over the world,
there are remarkable hotels.

Born of bold vision and daring endeavor.

Wow. This is how I ought to live.

Whether it's one of the remotest hotels
on Earth hidden on a Pacific island…

Or sumptuous resort on one of
the highest mountains in the Middle East.

What an incredible view.

The people running these hotels
strive to create the perfect sanctuary.

But what does it take
to offer once-in-a-lifetime experiences

in stunning locations?

Construction was a logistical nightmare.
No water, no source of power.

I'm a restaurant writer,
newspaper columnist and critic.



I have opinions on just about everything.

He's not a very good driver, is he?

-Crazy!
-Crazy!

-Crazy!
-Crazy!

And I'm a chef who's worked at the top end

of the hospitality industry
for, well, over 20 years.

This is awesome! Whoo!

We'll travel to amazing hotels
in every corner of the world.

Enjoy.

To spend time getting to know the people
working away behind the scenes.

I polished Elton John's fruits.

You polished Elton John's fruits.

Do you recall life under Apartheid?
Has it changed for you?

Nelson Mandela was
the first black President,



…gives me more inspiration
to achieve what I want in life.

-Join us as we venture inside…
-The world's most extraordinary hotels.

South Africa. A land of wonders.

Known for its natural beauty…

…its cultural diversity…

…and its economic extremes.

Our journey here takes us to two hotels,

representing different sides
of this extraordinary country

24 years after the end of apartheid.

6,000 miles away from the UK.

at the southern tip of the country,
lies Cape Town.

For centuries, a vital port exporting
African resources across the world.

Today, the city has reinvented itself
as an international tourist destination.

Have you got any idea
what it's supposed to look like?

Oh no, I'm guessing
it will be quite modern.

We're approaching the monument
to the city's renaissance…

Is it this enormous thing?

…that has become a symbol
of Cape Town's new cosmopolitan identity.

Yeah, I think you're right. Look at that.

Welcome to The Silo.

This building is a 94-year-old
former grain silo.

The lower levels now house the Zeitz
Museum of Contemporary Art Africa.

-Is that a garden on the top?
-The upper floors are a beacon

for those seeking
unrivalled urban elegance.

Those windows
are something else, aren't they?

Its very hipster, isn't it?
Its kind of, you know, reclaimed metals

and the inside of a Hoxton restaurant,

-except massive, and in Africa.
-Yeah, absolutely.

We've come to work
in Africa's most expensive city hotel.

The Silo opened its doors in March 2017.

Prices for it's 28 rooms
range from 800 pounds,

to a wallet crippling
9000 pounds per night.

Which is more than the country's
average annual salary.

The 189 members of staff work across
a five-star restaurant, a cocktail bar,

a spa, and a gym,
and an exclusive roof terrace

with panoramic views of the city.

But what really sets this hotel apart
are 300 pieces of contemporary African art

displayed across all six floors.

Oh, look at this place.

Is it an art gallery or is it a hotel?
Or some kind of factory?

I think all three
are probably true in some way.

It's fantastic how they've taken something
so old and made it feel quite modern.

That's a dove landing on a gun.

I think they're saying
something about peace, aren't they?

You'd hope so.

The more you hit it, the quicker it comes.

While the hotel and the museum
have entrances at ground level,

the hotel reception is on the sixth floor.

And I've assigned table 14
to Sarah and Alex for tonight.

Greeting guests is Duty Manager
Irene BoaVentura,

who personifies Cape Town's
new young metropolitan workforce.

I'm originally from Angola, but I've been
in South Africa for a really long time.

Angola was a war-torn country.
So, the opportunity to be in South Africa,

to have studied here,
and to be ambitious as I am.

The fact that I can work at The Silo hotel
is really a dream come true.

-Hello.
-Hi. Welcome to The Silo hotel.

-Thank you very much.
-I'm Irene.

-Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you, too.

-Hi, Irene. Monica.
-It's a pleasure to have you here.

-Seems very busy.
-It's the best place to be

on a beautiful Saturday like this,
it's trendy, it's upcoming,

the entire city wants to be here.
Welcome to Cape Town.

One thing that's amazing
about staying at The Silo hotel

is that moment when you open up the room,
and then see it for the first time.

God, it's amazing.
I've got two enormous double bedrooms.

It is very, very beautiful.

I mean, look at these windows.
If you suffered from a little bit

of vertigo like me.
I mean, you're right over it.

It's a viewing post more than a bedroom,
I mean, there is Robben Island.

People, tens of millions of people come
just to see where Mandela was incarcerated

and I wake up in the morning and go,
"Argh! Oh, look, it's Mandela's island."

And then have my breakfast.

This is stunning, I love this.
Love all the colors in the room.

Think of South Africa
and that's what I would think of,

these beautiful colors right there.

Goodness me.

You feel like you're
in a glass box here, you know.

Feels fragile, if that makes sense
but also just amazing,

I mean, you're just snooping on the world,
I'm watching people down there.

-What do you think? That is impressive.
-Extraordinary.

But it's the 11th-floor roof terrace that
gives guests a truly unique perspective.

-You can see everything from here.
-It's a very industrial view, isn't it?

Like you're in a really
sort of pretty-pretty, chintzy hotel

you'd be a bit annoyed
by the sight of cranes.

Exactly. It ties in
with the whole feel of the hotel.

It really is a unique view.

Perfect. So, now that you've kind of
seen the hotel from the bottom up,

-and you're ready to be working here?
-Yeah, it depends what I'm gonna be doing.

Before you start, I have to give you
these, our purpose statement.

Now, this will let you know
how we work here.

"To provide a value
and superior personalized service."

"To recognize your uplift,
to have passionate and expert staff."

That's so us.

If you remember that,
you should be good to start.

-All right, good to go.
-Good.

Let's do some work then.

While the roof terrace
is exclusively for guests,

the Wollaston Bar on the sixth floor
is open to the public,

and it's run by head
bartender Jonas Membray.

Originally, I'm from Zimbabwe.
I was a forklift driver.

So, when I come down here,
I just fell in love with the city.

Just an amazing city
and I decided I'm going to stay here.

-Jonas?
-Hey, Monica.

-Hiya.
-I'm joining Jonas on my first shift.

Please, come on through.

Are you going to teach me
a thing or two about cocktails?

-Absolutely, please come on through.
-Okay.

-So, you're the bar manager here?
-I'm the head bartender, yes.

How long have you been
a part of the hotel?

I've been here since the opening.

What is the most popular drink
that you would have here?

Cocktail is becoming
more popular with our gins.

-All these are from Cape Town?
-These are local gins.

South Africa may be famous for wine,

but like the rest of the world,
Cape Town's gin scene is booming.

Oh, I like the pink lady.

Thanks partly to flavors
from the Cape's floral region.

-Honeybush?
-These are all African…

Juniper, aniseed.

Home to 9000 different plants, 70 percent
of which grow nowhere else on Earth.

-Smells really sweet.
-This is one of my favorite gin.

-Because of the rose water?
-Because of the rose water

it actually tones it down. I actually
fell in love with the botanicals,

and created the most
selling cocktails in the bar so far.

The best cocktail within this hotel?

So, here's a shot measure,
a double shot of that.

Up to the rim?
I like where you're going with this.

You have got the freshly squeezed
lime juice right in front of you,

you will have red fruit in there.

-And these are all local?
-These are all local, yes.

Some rose syrup.
A full shot of that as well.

Just to boost the flavor out of it,
and then we will need some Chenin Blanc.

This is also a local white wine.

I've already forgotten half
the ingredients we put in there.

A spoonful of high foam
to stabilize the fizz.

Add ice, shake,
and you've got a Rose Gin Vino.

-Would you like to try it?
-I'd love that.

-Here we go.
-It looks amazing.

I don't think it would be
very professional

if I was to stand here drinking it myself.

-You did a very good job.
-You think so?

-I think it looks lovely. Enjoy.
-That looks great, cheers.

Since the end of apartheid in 1994,
tourism has ballooned from just over

three million to over
ten million visitors a year in 2017.

Have you noticed a change in the clientele
that you've been getting recently?

Cape Town is becoming more cosmopolitan,
more like a New York of Africa.

Do you agree with Jonas?

Absolutely, very cosmopolitan.
It's just great. We have a lot of fun.

Are you guests here
or have you just dropped in?

-Popped in for a drink.
-We've been following

the construction of this beautiful
building, we're quite proud of it.

We thought,
"Why not pop in for a quick drink?"

And it's amazing, really.

This extraordinary structure

was once the tallest building
in the Southern Hemisphere.

Built in 1924,
each of the 42 100-foot-high bins

was capable of storing
30,000 tonnes of wheat, maize,

and soya from all over Africa,

before it was shipped
to the rest of the world.

The final shipment of grain left in 1995,
and the building became derelict in 2001.

Ten years later, the V&A Waterfront
regeneration program

turned it's attention to the silo.

And work began on a 27 million pound
mission to convert the lower section

into the Zeitz Museum
of Contemporary Art Africa.

-David, hi. Nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.

I'm meeting the V&A Waterfront CEO,
a Scotsman called David Green…

-Wow!
-to find out more

about this incredible engineering feat.

What a space.

I had no idea that it looked
like this on the inside.

I had no idea what a grain silo was.
That is just amazing.

And each one was, what,
a massive tube of grain?

Yeah, each one is five meters wide,
and I think this is the unique thing

about this, there is no grain silo
in the world where you actually,

physically get the sense
of the scale of what they did.

It makes me feel incredibly small.
I mean, I am quite small,

even standing next to you
I feel sort of quite small.

Transforming this 94-year-old
industrial relic into South Africa's

equivalent of the Tate Modern
was a challenge handed

to British architect Thomas Heatherwick.

Thomas Heatherwick, he said,
"I'm really interested in that building,

because it's historic infrastructure,
architecture. I like to repurpose it.

-We're right in the middle of it?
-Yeah, there are 42 silo tubes.

42 tubes, because I can only see
sort of ten.

You can only see half a dozen,
that's right.

We've actually cutaway
75 percent of them to create in here.

It looks a pretty straightforward job.
You just came in here with a big spoon.

-Big spoon, exactly. A big scoop.
-Like an ice-cream scoop.

That's it. In fact, I think
Thomas Heatherwick said,

-"Hot knife through butter."
-But how did they do it?

In order to create the central atrium

the project used cutting-edge surveying
and structural support technology.

And each cylinder had to be relined
to prevent it from collapsing.

You can imagine you're inside
a five-meter tube and you have to,

with GPS tracking and lasers,
plot out where you're going to cut.

Then you physically cut,
and then you line the concrete.

-You see new concrete and old concrete.
-The old stuff has more.

The old stuff has got more hard-core.
They just chucked anything in.

-You can see large stones.
-But it makes it look

-more beautiful, though.
-It does, artistic. Exactly, yeah.

If the building symbolizes a bold
reinvention of South Africa's past,

the concept of a museum of contemporary
African art is just as radical.

Historically, because of apartheid,

South African museums are generally
collections of old artifacts.

There isn't a strong museum-going
culture at all within South Africa.

But what really captured our imagination

was this idea that it was African art
and Africa, telling Africa's story.

Uplifting African artists,
inspiring young people,

inspiring the artists,
and growing the whole community.

Thomas Heatherwick saw the transformation
of this former grain silo

as a metaphor for what was
unfolding here in Cape Town.

When Thomas was interpreting the building
I think he was very captivated

by this idea that corn was gathered
around Africa, and then it was exported

to the world. But having repurposed
the building, art would be gathered

from all over Africa, and people
would come to Africa to view that art.

So, there's a very nice
sort of symbolism there.

Harnessing the soul of this unique
building to draw people to South Africa

was also key to Cape Townian
entrepreneurs Liz and Phil Biden,

when they took the opportunity to convert
the elevator shaft into a luxury hotel.

We were very lucky to be able
to secure the top part of the building.

Thomas Heatherwick gave us the shell
and then we did everything inside it.

Liz understands the big picture,
she sees what is required,

and she's got a good eye.

These amazing windows
Thomas Heatherwick designed

gave us wonderful 360-degree views.

The 104-pillowed windows
costing 50,000 pounds each,

incorporate 5,824
individual panes of glass.

-You know, a bit nervous.
-We'll take care of the ropes

and the safety. All you have to do
is worry about the window cleaning.

-Okay.
-They're a striking design feature,

yet maintaining them is one
of the hotel's biggest challenges.

And this is what's going to keep me
attached to the building.

This will keep you attached.
It will all come together

-when you're hanging over the side.
-Okay.

This job needs a little more
than a stepladder.

That's exactly how you're going
to keep going down.

-Okay.
-And you're just going to keep balancing

-and stepping your feet down as you go.
-For two weeks every month

this team abseils down The Silo
to ensure guests and visitors can enjoy

-pristine 360-degree views of the city.
-This is awesome. Whoo!

As you'll see, you always keep things
attached to more than one rope

-in case of accidental drop.
-Okay.

Drop it and it won't go anywhere. Okay.
Start cleaning here?

-We have to start cleaning the top.
So, I have to go closer to it?

-Yeah, you have to be closer.
-But that's much easier said than done

when you're hanging from the top
of a 230-foot building.

-A little bit more, yeah.
-I can't reach it.

-But thankfully, help is at hand.
-Yeah.

These are pretty straightforward.
You just stick that on the glass and push.

-Okay. Yep.
-All right?

We have to start cleaning now.
You put your squishy this way,

and make sure not to leave the marks.
You see you are messy.

If you clean that way
Louise will tell you to come back.

Monica's not the only one who's been
roped into cleaning the windows.

-I've also been asked to join the team.
-I think you missed a bit.

She can't hear me, which is just as well.
It means I don't have to talk to her,

and I'll get on with
the far more important job

of cleaning the inside windows.

I mean, when it came to dividing up
the work it really was clear that I,

as a superior window cleaner,
was going to have to be on the inside

because this is the bit
that's the most important

as far as the guests are concerned.
And then outside, that's just…

That's just dumb bravery
is all that takes.

Which really, frankly, anyone can do.

Specialist window cleaning,
that's got to be done from the inside.

Actually, I'm secretly in awe of Monica.
I've got a problem with heights,

and can't think of anything worse
than dangling from a rope.

But then again, if this window falls out,
Mon's fine because she's on a rope.

So, in many ways, it's actually
more dangerous, what I'm doing.

I mean, you can tell that these windows
weren't designed by a window cleaner,

all these diagonals, a nightmare.

-Come on, do it properly.
-Yes but you're splashing on it,

it's perfect from the inside.

Getting her footprints all over my window.

-How long have you been doing this?
-40 years, when I joined the company

-I do like window cleanings. Yeah.
-Yeah?

-And now, now you're addicted to it.
-Now I'm addicted, yeah.

Philippe? How high is this exactly?

-60 meters.
-That's just…

-And is it strong stuff, this rope?
-It's extremely strong.

It will break at around 200, 2,5 tons.
Which, you know, I can literally…

-You can lift your car with it.
-Monica had a big supper.

I can't even look.

She's got to undo that sucker
and sort of move around.

But wouldn't it be better to have
a water pistol just to shoot

-the cleaning stuff on, no?
-We've cut back on using

any water-based products,
because we've got quite a heavy drought

in Cape Town at the moment.

For the last two years,

South Africa has been in the grip
of the worst drought in living memory.

Cape Town now faces the prospect
of being the first major city in the world

to run out of water.

So, there's no water used at all?

Is that just for the drought
or is that always?

Our company uses this.
We don't use any water.

Fantastic, no?

And it's not detergent
or anything in there?

-It seems a bit soapy.
-How extraordinary.

Instead of using water, ingeniously,
the team uses a solution

of orange and lemon extract
mixed with alcohol.

-Made from oranges?
-Yeah.

The Silo building now houses

the biggest collection
of African art in the world.

And Cape Town's new dawn
as a cultural epicenter

has attracted a dynamic young work force.

Some are from Zimbabwe, some are
from Malawi, some are from the Congo.

Well, I'm from even further afield,
but I'm also here to work.

The only thing missing is your nametag.

-How does that look?
-Upside down won't work.

-So, I'll just fix that for you.
-How embarrassing.

How do you feel now?

I'm fine, I'm ready to provide a warm,
generous, welcoming valued service.

Okay, almost there
with the purpose and values.

You kind of added a few
of your own words, but it's okay.

Someone who does know
the hotel drill is Zimbabwean waiter Yumi.

-Yumi, hi.
-Hi, Giles.

-All right, how are you?
-Good. Yourself? How are you?

-Yeah, not bad, I'm ready for work.
-All right.

Our main purpose of us being here is
to give our guests a combined experience

-and the perfect stay.
-Say it again.

To give our guests a combined experience
and a perfect stay.

-That's our main priority.
-You're completely correct

-and we're going to be what?
-To have mutual respect for each other.

Oh, we… we are. You're going to show
mutual respect for me definitely.

Even though we're waiting on tables
what's the thing, the special thing

that we can do here to make us,
like the best hotel in the world?

You get to say, "Hello, I'm Yumi.
I don't. I have to say,

"Hello, I'm Giles,"
which is already less exciting.

You open the napkins, give them the menus,
you probably recommend

one or two starters
that you probably want to enjoy.

My personal favorite is the scallops
on the menu, avocado salsa on the side.

-Do I have to talk as fast as you?
-No.

Or is it okay?

Because I talk very fast,
and yet you talk faster than I do.

-Okay.
-Do you have any particular tricks?

In writing? Yeah, normally what I do is,
I divide the page into two.

I put position numbers like
that's seat one,

-that's starter main course.
-Okay, good.

Then seat two, the gentleman next to him,
starter, main. Then seat three.

I can see where it's going from here.
Well, let's give it a crack.

-Okay, cool.
-Time to put Yumi's methods to the test.

-For you, madam?
- I'd like the salmon, please.

I don't want the potatoes so can you swap
for salad, please. Thank you.

-Lovely, madam.
-I'll also have the salmon, thank you.

Good. Would you like
anything changed about it?

-No, I'm happy with it.
-You're happy with it as it is?

Fantastic, okay. How's that looking?
It's already wrong, there's some arrows.

That's all right, as long
as you understand it. There's more.

-Sir?
-I'd like the beef special.

-Could I have that medium, please?
-Absolutely.

-Very good, thank you very much.
-Thank you very much.

I think those are the scallops
and what's that underneath?

-That's tomato monichette.
-Just like the hotel,

the menu has a very
international flavor to it

with many of the ingredients coming
from a surprisingly long way away.

Blast through such things
that are strange to me,

as the line caught fish of the day
is actually Norwegian salmon

which was caught weeks ago.
Or the scallops, are they South African?

No, they're from Canada. But I guess
there's an international vibe

and when Yumi
is throwing it at you like that,

you're going to be
going along for the ride.

Which is all very well
but after taking orders for an hour

I've yet to come across anything
that feels particularly local.

-Hiya. You all right Ziyaad?
-Hi Monica.

So have all the international influences
meant The Silo has lost its appetite

for traditional South African dishes?

This kitchen over here
is probably the busiest.

I'm in the kitchen to see
what chef Ziyaad Brown

serves to guests
who want a taste of local cuisine.

So what sort of things
have you put on the menu?

We've got a dish which is usually
an Indian dish called the seafood biryani,

and are flavors that are
very unique to the Cape.

Cape Malay food is part of
South Africa's forgotten history.

Malaysian and Indonesian slaves brought
hereby the Dutch in the 17th century,

mixed their cooking techniques
with those of slaves

from East Africa and Madagascar,

creating one of the world's
first fusion cuisines.

Is that where you're from?

My father's from Indonesia,
my mother is actually Indian.

So, coming from mixed background
I've grown up with all of these things.

I love this one.

These are from a store
in the Malay quarter.

What really sets this kind of
cuisine apart is not these ingredients

but how much of it you use.
Cape Malay food is as lightly spiced

and it's largely influenced
by the settlers.

These new arrivals modified the spices
in their homegrown recipes

to suit the more delicate palettes
of the Dutch colonies.

Ziyaad is going to show me
how to make a seafood biryani.

You can smell the fennel.
You can smell the coriander, the cumin.

We use and recreate this,
this master sauce.

That's amazing.
I would just love that over some meat,

-and some of that flatbread. Yeah.
-Chicken and…

But, no you're right.
It's not about the heat, it's about

the spices and the different flavors
coming through it.

See, I love spicy food.

This, for me, is not hot at all.
But it's so fragrant.

-Start making one.
-So salmon and prawns?

Yes, we've got lentils,
these have been blanched.

Yep. Mussels then?

Mussels are par-cooked
so we can toss them in.

Smells awesome.

We'll just, we'll finish it off
with a little bit of chili butter.

Nice.

-Get plates ready.
-All right.

So what I think really is important is,
is the seafood.

It's a generous amount
of seafood in it too.

These are South African portions.

I like South African,
South African portions and I

are going to get on very well.

In a city that has become
a cultural magnet, hotel owner Liz,

just like the museum downstairs,
is keen to showcase African talent.

This little area here is called the vault.
This is our little baby.

I love this piece.

Liz has created her own exhibition space

to promote the work
of young emerging artists.

What we've planned to do
is to have exhibitions from local artists

who maybe can't have their own exhibition.
We offer them the space for six months.

You can have guests
from all over the world.

It's an amazing way to offer
an opportunity to an unknown artist.

And this is our first artist,
Kate Gottgens,

this coming Sunday we're having a change.

-A new artist is coming in?
-A new artist is coming.

I grew up here in a small township
called Benoni in the East of Johannesburg.

I was like, 17 years old.

I think that's when I thought
I just wanted to be an artist.

Mongezi Ncaphayi is the artist
whose work will be displayed next

in Liz's exhibition space.

The Silo exhibition is big
for me, you know,

considering I grew up in a township.

My parents, they didn't want
anything to do with art.

So, it's a great thing
because my work is going to be seen

by tourists and collectors
to come and source art from here.

I'm feeling very much excited.
It's quite a big thing for me, you know.

While The Silo is a celebration
of Cape Town's flourishing reputation

of the country's new artistic urban hub,

less than an hour away lies
another hotel owned by Liz and Phil

which reflects a different aspect
of South Africa's cultural landscape.

The hotel's 29-year-old
tour guide Joshua Jury

is taking us to La Residence,

a hotel just outside Franschhoek.
The country's gourmet capital

in the Cape wine lands.

What sort of animals
are there out in Franschhoek?

-Is there a lot of wildlife there?
-At the hotel we have springboks,

and we have sables,
and leopard in the mountain.

-And that's the mountain by Franschhoek?
-That's in Franschhoek, yeah.

75 kilometers east of Cape Town,
Franschhoek is in the heart

of the South African wine country.

The town's name, meaning French corner,
originates from the French

and Dutch settlers who arrived here
in the 17th century.

These early influences
are still felt today.

Where we are entering now,
is where the hotel is.

So if you've never been to heaven,
welcome. This is it.

I love it here.

That's amazing.

-Peacock. Peacock at the table.
-At the table.

That is so peaceful.
So different to Cape Town.

So different. You wouldn't think
it was 45 minutes away.

That way you see vineyards
and olive groves and lavender

and it looks like the Mediterranean
and you look up,

and it gradually becomes
more African the higher you get.

What a bathroom.

It's like the bathroom at Versailles.

It's sort of country vineyard,
a quite low-key place

and then this magnificent
high ceiling bathroom

with the chandelier over it, amazing.

What they're doing with the décor
it's just pure Provence,

just sort of the yellow and the blues,
and the four-poster,

and the kind of impressionist paintings.

Here, it's just pure beauty,
pure relaxation.

I mean, this is where you come
to put your soul into repose

after the energy of a place like The Silo.

In fact many guests who stay at The Silo

often come here as well, paying
between 330 and 1900 pounds per night.

This is a very beautiful serene,
very Zen-like place.

The garden outside of our bedroom,
you can sit in your bath

and look into the mountains
while taking a bath.

Liz Biden, the owner, when I read
that she hand picked

and she did the decorating, it's one thing
when you see it. It's quite inspirational

in how she uses colors
and textures and mirrors

and everything that she does
is so beautiful.

Just like The Silo, La Residence
is full of African art.

There are 150 different pieces.

As well as 71 Persian rugs
and 64 armchairs.

But unlike The Silo, here at La Residence
95 percent of the staff are South African.

-Hello?
-Hi, Monica.

-How are you?
-I'm fine, thanks. And you? I'm Christina.

-Hi, Christina.
-It's nice to meet you.

I'm working with head
of housekeeping, Christina Cotto.

The most important thing
is the cleanliness.

I need to see the place is neat and clean,
and everything must be right and correct.

But there are some long-standing residents
who aren't exactly house trained.

I can clean the outside veranda
and then in five minutes time,

the peacock can come back,
and then they can do a mess again.

-Peacocks come in here?
-Sometimes they walk in,

they are pleasing their selves.
They can mess on a bed.

-No?
-I like peacocks, but for that matter

of making a mess, sometimes I say…

I can imagine. If you just finish
this room and a damn peacock comes in.

They really make you feel
like you can cry.

What's the cloth for?

This cloth here we use it
to polish your fruit, Monica.

-Polish the fruit?
-Yes.

You just want them nice
and clean, is that why?

Yes.

This may seem excessive,
but standards need to be high

when guests include the likes
of Lionel Richie and Richard Gere.

You see, now these are different,
when you polish this one,

this one can shine like this one.

-So who have you polished fruit for?
-I polished Elton John's fruits.

-You polished Elton John's fruits?
-Yes.

That's funny.

Monica, this toilet
is not cleaned properly.

-What are you doing?
-It's not fresh. It's not clean.

It smells, it must attract me
when I come here. When I smell like this,

I must say, "Wow, your bathroom is…"

-You sniff the toilet bowl?
-Yes, because there is nothing wrong.

Because I want something clean
for the next person.

I can smell it from here,
I know it's clean.

You clean, this toilet is not clean.

You take your brush and then you brush
your toilet and then you flush it.

Because I don't want the guest to complain
because the guest can look

-and see… Oh, yeah.
-You're amazing.

You see here, Monica,
you must keep spraying.

And then that dirt underneath here,
then it's going to… You see.

Right. Yeah.

Okay, it's clean, and then
the toilet is done.

-Is your house as clean as this?
-Oh, darling. I like to clean, you see.

Each of the 16 rooms at La Residence
has a unique style.

But the hotel's
unmistakable French influence

has its roots in the regions history.

In the 17th century
French Huguenots settled here

having fled religious persecution at home.

Many were experienced in growing grapes

and used their expertise to dramatically
improve the quality of early Cape wines.

-Do you do this whole area by hand?
-Over 300 years later, estate manager

Eddie Paul began planting
the vineyards of La Residence in 2007.

We make three wines,
the Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon,

and then there's the rose
which comes from the Shiraz.

Eddie regularly prunes
the 12 acres of vines

to ensure that the grapes
are of a high caliber.

And today, he's asked me to help.

The less you've got on the vine,
the more quality you're going to get.

And so if you cut them all except for
one grape you'd have one massive grape.

No. But if you half it
you get better quality.

So which ones do you do? Do you…

You normally look for, that's a beauty,
you see there's a few beauties.

-Are we losing that one?
-You can lose that one or that one.

So we cut them off, this one goes.
Never to bear fruit.

You only have what's on the vine.

We've literally…
That whole bunch has gone.

Even with regular culls like this,

these vineyards
produce 42 tonnes of grapes a year.

Filling over 11,000 bottles of wine.

Some of which end up in both
La Residence and The Silo.

So look we've got two here,
do we keep both of these

-or this is a good one, isn't it?
-It's your choice.

Eddie, how long have you
been working for the Biden's?

I've been working with the Biden's
for 20 years now.

And so that would have been
just after the end of apartheid, I guess.

So a lot of people watching, they might
say it's still broadly black people

working for white people in South Africa.
What's really changed?

Money didn't change hands. Those who were
rich are still rich, and getting richer.

And those who are poor are,
the Government tries, but not enough.

So, I would say they're getting poorer.

-Has it changed for you?
-In apartheid-era management

was different. There were
certain positions in Government

that you can't get because of your color,
your skin, and stuff like that.

But in other day,
who would have ever thought

that Nelson Mandela would be
the first black president.

This has given me more inspiration
to achieve my goals in life.

-And what are they?
-For my kids to be the best they can.

-And how many kids have you got?
-I got nine kids.

-No, really. How many kids have you got?
-I got nine kids.

-You've got nine kids.
-Yes. I got nine.

And they're your motivation
for all this hard work?

Yeah, exactly. I don't want them
to grow up the way I grew up.

-And how was that?
-I was born in the city,

and life was very fast,
drive-by shootings.

-Anyone you know has been shot?
-My best friend was stabbed to death,

it's drugs. I know what drugs is,
I came, my friend was smoking drugs.

I didn't want my kids to do drugs.

Is that one of the reasons
you want to be out here because

-it's so much safer from violence?
-So safe, in the neighborhood

I grew up it's almost like in the
American movies what you see, violence.

It's hard to imagine.

Standing here in this sort of paradise,
surrounded by hills and…

-Really it is a paradise.
-Almost impossible to imagine

-that that's not very far away.
-You can say that again.

Unlike the urban confines
of The Silo, La Residence

has space within its grounds for animals,
fruit and vegetables to flourish.

There's also a rose garden

tended by the hotel's
full time florist, Madeline Chevaz.

You need to love what you're doing.
So, I love flowers.

They can't talk, but I'll talk to them.

In this little garden
we've got 1900 roses here.

-What kind of roses are we going to cut?
-So we're going to mix the roses

and the alstroemerias
and the lilies together.

We're going to do the Tibetan suite,
which has got a little bit of white.

You must just be careful
of the thorns. Red.

Orange and yellow.

This is a pretty bunch.

-You happy with that?
-Yes. Very happy.

I love arranging flowers at home.

Madeline is responsible for maintaining
every floral arrangement in the hotel.

I'm sorry, how many pots
of flowers do you do?

-Say, about 300.
-That's pretty impressive.

And the best part is when I give guests
a nice fresh bunch of flowers in the room,

they go, "Are you the florist?

Yes, the in-house florist.
Can we come later for some training?"

-That does look great.
-It does.

I live with my three sons,
my husband passed away two years ago.

Nice place we live,
in a township called Groendal.

-Are we going to your house?
-Yes.

Every evening, Madeline makes
the three-mile journey

to the local township of Groendal.

Hi, guys.

Home to over 60 percent
of the hotel staff.

So, everybody goes home
in this van every day?

Yes, every day and gets picked up.

-It's organized by the hotel?
-Yes. By the hotel itself.

-Fantastic.
-Since 2008, tourism in this area

has created more new jobs
than any other industry.

-See you tomorrow.
-Don't be late.

Ten years ago, many of the town's
residents would have had to travel

long distances for work in construction,
agriculture or manufacturing.

-So, this is where I live.
-There's your boys.

-There's my boys.
-Hello. You're the baby? How old are you?

Fourteen? Wow, you're tall for 14.

When I'm at work, it's work. But when
I'm at home this is really home, home.

Thank you. This looks amazing.

What is it like having
your mum work at a posh hotel?

Because normally, when someone
asks you where does your mother work,,

you actually feel proud to say
she's working at La Residence.

Actually I feel very proud for her to work
at that place and actually as a florist

because I never saw my mother
as a florist,

the first time when she did flowers
I was stunned

to see how great she is at her job.

-How did you end up working for Le Res?
-I was a restaurant manager.

So when Le Res asked me
if I could come and work for them,

I thought it's going to be
waitressing or managing.

Then when I walked into the front
and just, I said to myself,

the most famous place
you're stepping in, it was like heaven.

I've been to other hotels but Le Res
do a lot for the community.

What do they provide for the community?

So we're feeding
some of the crèches around here,

they do like 200 sandwiches so we hand
it out to all of them and you must see.

-The small children?
-All the small ones.

-And the hotel does that?
-Yeah.

That's lovely.

Can I give you something to do?
Why don't you do some butter.

-Okay.
-This morning Madeline has invited us

to help prepare one of the regular
sandwich deliveries to the local crèches.

-And how long have you been doing this?
-Every year now.

These kids are in the crèche because
their parents are working?

Because all of their parents is working.
Most of our staff is living in Groendal,

all our kids is at the crèches
and so that's why.

It's us giving back to the community
like our purpose statement is the same.

I see, so what's the sentence
on the card that relates to this?

To love local communities.
And to protect the environment.

Do you want to put the big one down first?

So how often do you
do this drive down there?

-We do it like, once a week.
-It's not because the kids have no food.

It's just to give them
a bit more food on the certain days.

The hotel and its staff
also help these crèches in other ways.

When it's school holiday then sometimes
the maintenance go out

and cut the grasses
at the schools like Biden's

sends out each guy
from a department, they go and assist.

-Hello.
-Hi.

Hi.

Hi.

Hello.

-Now you tell them, Monica, stand up.
-Stand up.

Many of the parents of these children work

in Franschhoek's
booming hospitality industry.

And an increasing number of tourists

want to find out more about
the staff that serve them.

I would really like people
to give back to our community.

We are opening doors for tourists
to come to Franschhoek,

but we want them to give more
than just come sit at the restaurant,

because I want them to do more.

As well as taking guests on tours
of vineyards and beauty spots,

Josh is now bringing people
into the heart of his community.

Like I'm a qualified tour guide,

I always ask the guests have
they ever been in a township

so they don't know how a township looks.
They only see it on the TV,

or when they come from the airport.
But they can't go in there

because the expression or the mind
said to the head like it's dangerous.

-But is it dangerous?
-It was dangerous,

but now we bring people
with money to come and see.

So when I do a township tour,
I don't keep the guests in the vehicle.

I take them out of the car,
and I walk with them

so they can feel the energy around.
So I'm taking their scary out of you.

In the last year increasing numbers
of guests from La Residence

have visited Groendal with Josh.

We don't just stop here,
we go out to all the other schools.

-A lot of kids, a lot of children.
-A lot of children.

Spread across the foot of a hill,

the township of Groendal
has a social structure

which involves better
living conditions at the bottom,

while residents with less resources
live at the top.

And new immigrants
to the township move up there?

Further up?
The newer you are to the township?

Yes, Monica.
This connects you to a smaller,

but then La Residence,
the maintenance guys were giving them

a hand with withstanding it.

-Can we hand some sandwiches for you?
-Hi. There you go.

-They're so polite.
-There you go, my darlings.

Can I open that one for you?
Open that one for you?

There's not even a window in here.
Children are happy but when they

don't know any better. We're in a shed,

and then I'm looking across the way
there to mansions and vineyards.

Maybe 5 kilometers
from La Residence from here,

and it's just the inequality of it all,
which tears at you, makes me angry.

But even now the inequality
is so vast throughout.

Where do you start?

And I think awareness is…
It comes down to awareness.

People coming here for great holidays.

Tourism will always be a huge benefit
to this country

because there's a lot of people
coming with new ideas.

Because tourists that come here,
they learn, they learn more.

There is a lot of unemployment, poverty.

We must look after this country,
must rule it properly.

And because it starts from the top down.

Before we leave Franschhoek,
Eddie has one last thing to show me.

Although almost half the population
still live in townships,

new land reform laws
are giving some South Africans

the chance to buy plots of land
at a reduced price.

-This is it?
-This is it.

-This is the shape of your foundations?
-Yes. I've got to lay brick, mix cement.

So what's it going to look like,
these houses?

A little bit different,
but more or less the same.

And who are these,
who lives in these houses?

All the rich people,

people that the houses cost millions
and millions of rands.

And when you say rich people,

is it wrong to assume
that they're white people?

I would say majority is white people
that stays around here.

-So where did you get the money?
-A lot of banks who we can go to,

but none of them wanted to help us.
So, I went to… to my bosses,

and I'm very thankful.
Mr. and Mrs. Biden, they helped me.

-So, they lent you the money, did they?
-Exactly.

I'm paying it back as we speak

but I'm very grateful to them.
This is going to be my castle.

This is what I'm living for
at this moment.

Can you imagine your first night
when you live in the house?

I know we're going to do
a barbecue, definitely.

-You're going to have all your kids come?
-All my kids must be here,

and my grandchildren,
I love my grandchildren.

Some of them
more naughty than the other one,

but I love them; it's for them.

So you have in mind sort of stylistically
how it's going to be?

Yes something similar to what La Residence
looks like almost.

-From the inside, you know.
-Really? Very grand.

-Couple of cheap paintings on the wall.
-Cheap paintings?

I won't be able to afford expensive.
Paintings are very expensive these days.

You've got the art bug
from the Bidens, have you?

-That you want to put up.
-She knows her style.

What I really would love
when it's complete.

I want to bring them here,
to have a look at what…

I want them to know what the feeling
about it how it looks.

That will mean a lot,
the world to me if they come in

and have a look and everything,
it will mean the world to me.

I'm sure it will mean
a lot to them as well. Yep. Amazing.

Eddie's life and his whole attitude
is a real inspiration,

he lived a lot of it under apartheid with
very little opportunity and very poor.

Since the end of apartheid, he's worked
incredibly hard for the Bidens

to help them build-up
their extraordinary business,

and it is lovely to see
they've given him something back,

not a hand-out, but just a help
which you need in this country.

The money to help him buy the land
after 15 years of waiting,

and finally to be able to build
something of himself

in a country to which he's given so much.

Back at The Silo there's plenty to do

with just a few hours to de-rig
and replace one exhibition with another.

It's so lovely to have all your art
for our second exhibition.

And all these colors look amazing.

For the next six months, the paintings
of 35-year-old artist, Mongezi,

will be seen by thousands of guests
from around the world.

People are… I'm kind of
welcoming people in, people come in

and they just get excited about
what they're going to see upstairs.

I think my exhibition could be
a stepping-stone for me

to exhibit my work inside the Museum.

Let's do that, I wonder
if it's a bit high,

maybe drop it a little bit more,
halfway through.

Are you just thinking the yellow at the
bottom matches the yellow on the sofa?

You're not allowed to do that
with artists you know, but secretly, yes.

Are you just glad that it's hanging
anywhere, you don't mind which wall?

As long as most people
enjoy it, it's fine.

-It's lovely.
-Okay so you want to put that there.

No matter how,
no matter what, it will eventually

just bring people together, you know.

And bring a greater understanding of
people from different backgrounds together

and then having
an understanding of each other.

-Eddie? You all right?
-Good, and you sir?

Very well, I've missed you.
You've got the wine? Excellent.

Yes.

Liz has invited guests and staff
from both hotels to tonight's exhibition.

And do you sort of see yourself as a kind
of mother hen for these African artists?

These are all young people trying to make
a name for themselves

so you do feel responsible for them.

We've seen the disparities of wealth
that we see in Africa,

do you see this disparity ever-changing?

There's been huge changes
in the last 20 years.

It's definitely very important for us

to be part of the evolution
of South Africa

and I think creating jobs
is the best thing.

You find people from Kenya, Somalia,
DRC, from Malawi,

it's so many opportunities
for everybody here.

In Angola, there was no opportunities
for education or for a better life.

My younger brother is starting
accounting in Cape Town and…

So he studies hard
and I foot the bill for his tuition.

The fact that I can work here
and be able to pay his fees is…

That's the least I could do for him
to make his dreams come true.

And the boys,
you'll have to give them my love.

I will.

Cheerio.

Thank you very much.
Lovely, thank you for coming out. Bye.

We've had two very different
experiences here.

Do you get the sense
that despite the city's own challenges,

that here you've got some version
of a successful, modern, new South Africa.

The rainbow nation after apartheid
that people dreamed of,

but as soon as you get out
in the countryside,

lovely though La Residence is,
you see the colonial past is still alive.

Honestly, I was angry
after we visited that township,

to see the difference in wealth.

But then, sort of sitting back
and thinking about it,

would that put me off coming back here?

No. I would come back,
and I would make sure

that some of the money that I spent
would go back into that community.

You can't just be in a country and just
enjoying all the pleasures it has,

and ignoring everything else
that's happening in the background.

And that's the most
we can hope for in the future.

That people should come here,
and see this and then do that.

Absolutely.

It's nice to see the way that people
are flocking to South Africa.

Tourism for me has changed this country.

It's uplifting for the country
to have the people

who were pushed out of the old world
because of apartheid, now we're back.

There's a great irony here
in the architecture of a place

that was once a silo

which exported grain all over the world.
Now it's a place where they keep the arts,

resources and talents of this part
of the world in one place.

Absolutely.