Interview with: General manager Roy Davies

Good Day all my fellow readers. Wow it has been a while but you know what they say all good things come to those who wait.

I have decided my first posting for 2011 was going to be my little project I am going to run for the next year which is as follows:

I will be doing an interview or two once a month with top managers from different hotels in and around Cape Town, whether they it be the general manager, food and beverage manager or rooms divisions manager. I want to try an get the best of the best to post onto my bog.

My very first interview I have ready is with one of Cape Towns top general managers:

Roy Davies the GM of The Vineyard Hotel and Spa.

It was such a privilege for me to have 30 minutes within his company asking him a series of questions to share with all of you as well as for me to gain some sort of knowledge an experience from such a top person. So that when I become I Gm one day I would have learned from the best.

Questions and Answers:

1. What made you study hospitality management an where did you complete your theory as well as practical?

- I didn’t complete any official hospitality qualification. I worked in the air force catering for 4 years and then completed an 18 month in- service programme at the Mount Nelson Hotel

2. What was the first position in an hotel once you had completed your 18 month in service programme?

- Assistant Banqueting Manager

3. At what time after your experience in the hotel industry did you have your first general manager role?

- 1994: GM of the Bay Hotel

4. What exactly does your role as the GM entail?

- Operations of the hotel
- Human recourses / Rooms Division an Food an Beverage directing
- Budgeting as well as the business aspect of the hotel
- Responsible for culture because whatever you do develops the culture of the business

5. Are your plans for the future to stay in hotel industry or move away from hotels to other hospitality services?

- No because I have already experienced the side of other hospitality services

6. What advice do you have for fellow trainee managers who aspire to be general managers one day?

- Take all opportunities as they present themselves
- Be committed
- Work hard
- Take initiative
- Have an enquiring mind
- An don’t think what you can get out of it but rather what you can give

7. If you had to choose to play any other role in an hotel besides the Gm what would it be?

- Human resources department

8. What was your most stressful moment you can think of that you have experienced during your time in the hotel industry?

- After working 9.5 years at The bay Hotel to be told you have been retrenched as well as other staff members and that it was my responsibility to tell them.

9. What is the most difficult part of your job?

- “Getting everyone of the bus facing the same direction and in the right seat".


Roy thank you so much for allowing me the opportunity to interview you. I really learned some valuable information from you that will help me become a better leader one day.

Lots of love

X.O.X.O
Hotel Guy

Hotel of the month: The Mount Nelson Hotel and Spa

Good Day all


Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town
Set in a lush garden estate at the heart of Cape Town, the Mount Nelson Hotel is an iconic property that encapsulates the true spirit of Orient-Express.

Its romantic heritage recalls the days of great ocean liners and high tea on the veranda, while its contemporary dining scene adds a lively buzz.

Situated close by Table Mountain and Cape Town’s spectacular beaches, it offers easy access to all that’s happening in this vibrant city, while its gardens and spa are an oasis of calm.

Rooms & Suites
201 luxurious Rooms and Suites with a choice of spectacular views of Table Mountain or the verdant hotel gardens. More »

Restaurants & Bar
From fine dining to classic cocktails, the Mount Nelson's Restaurants and Bar are amongst the very best in Cape Town.






All text within this posting was taken from the Mount Nelson website and is copyrighted
check out the website by clicking on the link below

http://www.mountnelson.co.za

X.O.X.O

Hotel Guy

The Square December 2011: Breakfast

Festive greetings my fellow readers

The festive month of Christmas brings me to one of the hotels outstanding restaurants “The Square”.

During the busy month I had worked what we call the “early” or “breakfast shift” which starts at 6:30 and ends at 15:00 in the afternoon. In the begin it was a little tough for me , main reason being is that I am not a morning person what so ever , so far me to get up at 5:30 and be at work at 6:30 was hectic. I managed to get through it though and my body is adjusting bit by bit.

For me my experience in The Square was really awesome. Working with the early morning breakfast team compared to working late was a lot different than I expected.
A breakfast shift is a more pressurizing one seeing that mosts of the guests that stay at the hotel have there breakfast included in there rate , therefore service is much busier because guests are not directly but rather indirectly paying for their meal.

At the Square we offer the guests a full buffet for breakfast: from a wide variety of pastries, cold meats, juices and so much more on offer. They also provide a La Carte menu for those guests who prefer not to eat from the buffet but to rather order straight off the menu. Guests also have the choose to either sit in the Square restaurant or to go and have breakfast on the outside patio (that patio being the one displayed in the picture above from Novembers experience).

Working the breakfast shift has been a great experience for me , got to learn about how the micros system worked according to breakfast an the different skills an attention to detail one needs. So thank you all to the breakfast team for allowing me to share in this experience , as we all know it will continue to grow me bigger an bigger in this industry.

X.O.X.O

Hotel Guy

Merry Christmas.... WOW 2010

Festive greetings my readers

First an foremost before i proceed with my festive greetings , i would like to convey my deepest apologies for being so quite over the past two months. The hotel has peaked into our season so we are superrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr busy but as soon as it starts cooling down , we will get back into the swing of things... Awesome stuff coming in 2011 so keep watching this space.

An Now:

Merry Christmas to you all , thank you so much for being with me and following my blog throughout this year. You all need to know you are all like my fans and without my fans i cant get much done and this blog would never be successful as it is becoming without you all taking the time to read it. For me my first year journey has been quite a ride , a ride with some smooth sailing an a ride that had there bumpy moments. But on the whole i have really enjoyed , i really have it has taught me so much about the industry and i cant wait for 2011 were i will be an official 2ND year student yayayyayay cant wait LOL :-))))

So once again thank you so much , you must all have yourselves a very merry Christmas and dont do anything i wouldn't do...

Lots of love an greeting

X.O.X.O

Hotel Guy

The Garden Lounge November 2010

Well hello my fellow readers

(sorry for the long wait)

This month I place myself in a stunning venue called the garden lounge.
It is a restaurant / lounge bar , were guests can come , relax and dine in a fabulous furnished lounge with exotic view of the gardens and the back of table mountain , which one can either view from the inside of the lounge or out on the ever most famous patio area. (very popular for sunrise breakfasts and basking in the warm sun lunches)

During my time in the garden lounge I was only meant to work in the bar area for the entire month , but to me it seemed an entire month in the bar would be a bit to much.
So I asked permission from the manager to be able to work as a barman/waiter and I was granted m wish.

Barmen

Being a barmen in a hotel is quite different from being a barmen in a standard restaurant or an event.
The bar is completely stocked , from all your different types of: beers right down to our whiskeys and liqueurs. Requiring one to know where everything is kept.
So when you make a beverage you know where everything is and what it contains.
The reason why being a barmen in a hotel can differ from many other establishments because a barmen needs to be able to pick up and service tables too , when it becomes super busy. So in other words one needs to be able to be a jack of all trades.

Waiter

Being a waiter for me was not only a great experience gainer but I actually really enjoyed it. For me to be able to interact with guests and other people is my passion therefore being a waiter I could fill that glass of passion to the brim.
The other aspect of being a waiter is that it’s a very pressurizing and mind skill/ memory testing job. Being a waiter requires a lot of patience, self-control and stability. I consider it to be one of the world’s most stressful jobs because you constantly have to be on your feet and run around like a headless chicken for guests. One also needs a really good memory especially when you serving a big table or loads of tables. Trying to remember exactly what each table wants and expects. But on the whole, the road to becoming a successful waiter is: confidence, self-discipline and being able to handle pressure.

For me my experience in the garden lounge was a fun and awesome one. Thank you to every one of the staff members who helped me out and taught me the ropes.
As I have said time and time before it takes real special people who go out of their way an give part of their time to hand over a small piece of their knowledge.

Love you all

X.O.X.O

Hotel Guy

Hotel of the month: The Da Vinci Hotel Sandton mandela Square

hello all my hotel of the month

Legacy's latest luxury hotel and all suites development is located adjacent to the prime location of Nelson Mandela Square. This is Legacy's fourth hotel on the cosmopolitan square in the heart of the Sandton business and leisure district. One could speak of the opulence of the rooms, the restaurant and lounge, pioneering fitness centre and health spa but we suggest you come and see for yourself. Guests can enjoy the convenience of luxurious shopping at the Legacy Corner Mall and Sandton City just an elevator trip away.

•166 en-suite rooms
•54 luxury suites
•33kms from OR Tambo International Airport
•Complimentary high speed internet access
•24 hour Room service
•Interleading rooms
•Wheelchair accessible facilities
•Fully equipped kitchens in luxury suites
•Full bouquet of DStv in luxury suites
•Endless edge pool with pool terrace
•Legacy fitness gymnasium
•Health spa
•Business Centre
•Conference Facilities
•Restaurant and Bar
•Direct access to Nelson Mandela Square, Sandton City and the Sandton Convention Centre as well as the Michelangelo Towers Mall and Legacy Corner Mall
•Valet and laundry service available
•Medical service on call
•Foreign exchange
•Legacy Corner Lifestyle and entertainment centre

All text within this posting was taken from the DA Vinci Hotel website and is copyrighted
check out the website by clicking on the link below

http://davinci.legacyhotels.co.za/

X.O.X.O

Hotel Guy

Hotel of the month: Upper Eastside VS The Bay Hotel

Good Day All


"Welcome to Upper Eastside Hotel

The Upper Eastside Hotel, perfectly situated in the highest setting in Woodstock, takes full advantage of the panoramic views that the Mother City has to offer. This location enjoys the convenience of being five minutes from Cape Town CBD, the world-renowned V&A Waterfront, and a mere fifteen minutes from Cape Town International Airport. The hotel prides itself in offering the best accommodation at affordable rates, combined with a state of the art Conference facilities that has the latest offering in audio visual technology backed by service provided by an experienced and professional team.

Modern and contemporary
Each of the 183 hotel rooms and suites are decorated in a fresh, modern and contemporary style, offering sophisticated furnishings and amenities, including central air-conditioning with individual thermostat control and free Wi-Fi internet access. All day dining is offered with the emphasis on fresh ingredients. The restaurant, aptly named Liberty’s, is designed as a hub of activity and specifically caters to the discerning traveller. It incorporates a Smoker’s Lounge, Library and an outside Piazza dining area, all in an urban chic style. The feature of the food and beverage area is the estreet bar offering the finest local wines, including organic wines, South African potstill brandies and the finest single malt and aged whiskeys all in a relaxed, yet sophisticated environment."


Welcome to The Bay Hotel, Camps Bay, Cape Town


A distinctive blend of sophisticated elegance and casual comfort.

The Bay Hotel is superbly designed with only 78 rooms and suites offering 5-star luxury in an unsurpassed setting. No less than four hotel pools with expansive sun decks offer superlative views of the Atlantic Ocean and majestic Lion’s Head.

Renowned as a haven for romantics, leisure is our catchword, from rejuvenating spa treatments to the convenience of our heavenly deli, unique cocktail bar or beachfront café. And for the ultimate in relaxation, we recommend our cigar lounge and bar plus fine dining restaurant, with breathtaking views.

Celebrate special events at the intimate Celebration Table or Private Deck overlooking a sapphire sea. Fully-equipped meeting and events venues are available to suit every occasion, including the historic Rotunda for glittering parties and flawless weddings.

Breathe deep... exhale slowly and rediscover fun. Float into blissful relaxation while enjoying our exceptional brand of hospitality.




All text within this posting was taken from the The Upper eastside and The bay Hotel website and is copyrighted
check out the website by clicking on the link below

www.thebay.co.za

www.uppereastsidehotel.co.za

X.O.X.O

Hotel Guy