Cape Town - Steenberg hotel manager, Catherine Schulze joined the Steenberg team in 2007 and was quickly made Rooms Divisions Manager before securing her current position as hotel manager.
She has been in the hospitality industry for more than 15 years and has experience as Guest Liaison Officer and Front Office Manager in notable hotels such as the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West and the Radisson Hotel at the V&A Waterfront.
Catherine spent her school holidays working at a guest house and found the experience of contributing to the enjoyment of a guest’s stay very rewarding. This has grown into a passion of pursuing a career in hospitality and to contribute and ensure that guests have a memorable experience.
The décor of a place is an intrinsic part of a guest’s stay and Catherine believes in securing every detail from the ideal reading lamp, the clean lines of a free standing bath, to the exquisite and plush cushions.
Catherine is honoured and excited to have been entrusted with redefining the look of Steenberg Hotel. The goal has been to transform it from a country hotel to a more refined and luxurious experience while simultaneously respecting the heritage and history of the farm.
New and improved bathrooms
It is important for guests to have a space where they can relax. The newly renovated bathrooms have been enhanced to introduce modern day comforts and spaces have been reconfigured to maximize the flow of the hotel, including the Manor House.
Catherine pursued the theme of timeless elegance with the refurbishments and made sure to choose fabrics and fittings that she thought would be admired and enjoyed by her guests. She climbed into baths to test them out and explored a variety of tiles, taps, and mirrors.
Catherine is inspired by the graciousness of Graham Beck that affords the great team of professionals at Steenberg Hotel the opportunity to share his family art works and heirlooms to decorate this “home”. This contributes to the guests’ experience of a genuine connection and sense of place.
Why renovate?
The renovations and refurbishment enhance the quality of the hotel. This ensures that Steenberg Hotel remains a desirable destination to the numerous loyal visitors and places the hotel on the wish list of new visitors to come.
The teams thrives on welcoming back and sharing the changes that have been done with their returning guests and then having them share their new experience with the team.
Locally sourced materials
Whenever possible, the team uses local material and locally made art. Catherine is forever inspired by the incredible amount of local talent and enjoys scouting local art and design fairs to add items to Steenberg’s décor.
Steenberg Hotel will soon include a gift shop, which will house unique items for guests to purchase.
Beds, bathrooms, and beyond
Steenberg Hotel’s gardens lend to the atmosphere and Catherine has ensured that they are a wonderful experience. She outsourced a company to gather as many different types of flowers and plants and coordinate the colours specifically. Each day, guests are gifted with a fresh bouquet of handpicked flowers. These include the beautiful velvet purple Sylvias and the family-farm produced proteas. One returning guests with a fondness for proteas receives them in her room upon arrival.
New spa
The spa reception and relaxation have also recently been refurbished. Cool and calming colours were chosen with a focus on lighting and luxurious jade cotton velvets were used to cover the furniture and plush throws.
Coming soon
Plans to extend the pool area and create a chill space with different types of lounges and sun beds are in the works. Guests will be able to escape and sit back and enjoy the surroundings in style.
For reservation enquiries please contact Steenberg Hotel by telephone on +27 21 713 2222 or by email [email protected]
* Adapted from a press release for IOL