Reinhardt Saayman, Premier Hotels & Resorts

When did you know you wanted to be a hotelier and in particular, a General Manager? 

My journey started when I met my Uncle for the first time when I was 13 years old. He was the General Manager of Overvaal Pilgrims Rest Resort. When I was 17 years old, I went to visit him at Aventura Swadini. This is where/when I realized this is a job that I can see myself doing. 

 

Where have you served as GM? 

• Blue Mountain Lodge
• The Palaces of His Highness Shaikh Nasser bin Hamad al Khalifa
• Fusion Boutique Hotel
• Holiday Inn Express Pretoria
• Ivory Tree Game Lodge
• Premier Resort Cutty Sark 

 

Have you had any mentor(s) along the way & how important were they to your development?

Yes I have. As mentioned my Uncle (Mr. Kobus Tait) who retired last year as the MD of Forever Resorts, was in the industry all his life and he was my idol, my inspiration as well as my mentor. His belief in me, his support and guidance was of invaluable importance.

 

Have you ever had to open a hotel or lodge and would you say that requires a unique skill set? If not, would you be interested in doing so or not?

I have not yet had the fortune of opening or being part of the opening team of a new property. Yes, I firmly believe a manager that is in charge of an opening team requires a unique skill set. They will need to be able to visualize all scenarios and ensure that they have solutions to all challenges. They will require a significant amount of hotel experience, with sound policy and procedures, which they will need to implement into this new environment. Yes, I believe many GM’s dream of opening a new property and emboss their ideology and persona onto it. So the answer is yes, I would be interested in doing that one day.   

 

From the first day you served as a GM, until today, you must have learnt so much. If you could share any one piece of sage guidance, to new GM’s, what would it be?

Never stop learning and adapt to the trends. 

 

I imagine that being the GM of a property, in a small town,  would come with different dynamics to being the GM of a property, in a big city. The same would go for managing a beach property on an island or a bush lodge in a remote corner of the world. Can you share how one adapts to managing in different locations (environments)?

It is funny that you should ask this question, as the last four properties that I have managed were exactly that (Small Town to Big City to Bush lodge to current Holiday Beach Resort) 

First and foremost you need to be a person that embraces change and by nature be a person that can adapt to any situation. If this is not in your personality, you will find this challenge to be near impossible. One needs to adapt to your surroundings rather than trying to get your surroundings to adapt to you. You also need to be able to fit into various communities and governing bodies and actually become an active member of that community. 

 

Being the general manager of a hotel, during the Coronavirus Pandemic, must have been very challenging. What was the key to survival and did you gain or learn anything from the adverse situation?

I was one of the much more fortunate people out there. There are a lot worse places than being stuck on a 5 Star Game reserve. We were in a very fortunate position to have phenomenal months prior to Covid, which allowed for some cash flow to do some very much needed maintenance. There were always concerns about how business would recover after the pandemic, but for the lodge things were extremely fortunate. We did learn a lot having to manage in ‘survival mode’ and I believe this has changed the way we view our labour cost forever.  

 

Your favourite thing about serving, at your current post?

I am extremely fortunate to manage such a beautiful property. It has been newly refurbished and it has an AMAZING view with direct beach access. There are major plans for future development and it has great prospects for future. I have a stunning team working with me and we have every opportunity to become a serious role player in our node.  

 

How important is it for general managers, such as yourself, to visit other properties?

This is of paramount importance. One may have some great ideas and high standards, but one never knows it all, nor do you do it perfectly. One needs to be open to always ‘Steal with your eyes’ and tweak and adopt that works better at other properties.

 

How is your establishment contributing to the greater good & making the world a better place?

We are involved in a couple local community upliftment projects. We constantly assist and contribute to local small businesses when they have fundraisers or charity events. The team also gets involved in local clean up projects, such as beach cleanups, etc.  

 

 Interesting Insights about the General Manager

 

What is your ideal or favourite vacation destination?

Eastern Cape – From Plettenberg bay to Mosselbay

 

What is your favourite wine?

Glen Carlou Merlot

 

What is your favorite dish?

A beautiful Cheese platter, accompanied by my favourite glass of wine… bliss.

 

What favourite hidden gem, near your establishment, should we visit?

East Coast Breweries on a Sunday afternoon

 

Best question you were never asked?

“Most favourite International Cities ever visited?”

Barcelona, Athens, Geiranger Fjord