Tag: hospitality

The booking confirmation looks the same everywhere: three (or four) stars in Sandton, Stuttgart, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Sekondi-Takoradi. But is it consistent? Or even comparable? South Africans are accustomed to a certain size and standard when booking domestic hotel rooms. In contrast, European city hotels are notoriously compact. They are often squeezed into historic buildings, with decidedly small rooms and limited amenities.

Food can do more than satisfy hunger. It can bring people together, create memories and turn ordinary moments into meaningful occasions. In The Art of Hosting, South African personality and entrepreneur Louise Volschenk explores this idea through recipes, entertaining advice and personal touches.

Every hotel valuation conversation in this industry starts in the same place. Capital expenditure (Capex) plans, revenue management systems, brand affiliation, the flag on the building. Owners obsess over these levers because they are visible, measurable, and easy to put in a deck.

Imagine a head chef in an upmarket restaurant wiping down a prep surface between services, confident it's clean. Or consider a canteen supervisor spraying down counters before the lunch rush. Both believe it’s sufficient. But is it? Visible residue and food spills are easy to spot and wipe away. However, unseen contaminants, such as bacteria, can pose a bigger risk. Those risks add up quickly when dozens or even hundreds of meals are prepared daily.

For hospitality businesses, a reservation is much more than a booking. It represents a prepared room, a reserved table, an allocated guide or a carefully planned experience. When guests fail to arrive, businesses lose the opportunity to generate revenue from that space. Ultimately, the cost of an empty seat extends well beyond the booking itself.

Most loyalty programmes are built once and then applied across the board. While this approach may seem logical from an efficiency perspective, what works in aviation does not carry into hospitality or retail. Yet many programmes are still built as though customer behaviour follows a single pattern.

Are we there yet? E-visas could boost SA’s tourism competitiveness, but we are not yet geared for arrivals. Properly rolled-out digital visas will boost inbound travel. They will also dismantle long-standing entry hurdles. For anyone returning to South Africa after time abroad, there’s an unmistakable sense of homecoming – the warmth of a genuine South African welcome, coupled with the relief of the end of a long-haul flight.

Sol Kerzner, the controversial and charismatic business tycoon, once dominated the Southern African tourism landscape. He left an indelible mark by developing dream destinations like Sun City and The Palace. Furthermore, he created the Atlantis developments in the Bahamas and Dubai.

The inspiration behind Restaurant Klein JAN did not come from a desire to create fine dining in the Kalahari. Instead, it came from my heart and the tables of my childhood. I carried these memories into an unknown land. Before visiting Tswalu for the first time, I had never been to the Kalahari.

Acquisition of Julie's biscuits by ASN from Malaysia marks a significant stride in the culinary world, especially in the domain of premium snacking. The delectable assortment of Julie's biscuits has garnered immense acclaim not only from retailers but also from the discerning hospitality industry.