■ The Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West was announced the South African winner in the luxury banquet/event hotel category, at the World Luxury Hotel Awards in St Moritz, Switzerland, in December. Hospitality establishments from 120 countries competed in 2017, and over 300 000 votes were cast by travellers and guests during the voting phase. Pictured is The Lord Charles Hotel general manager, Daniel Méndez, with his team.