MARKET NEWS

Topi strives to make every guest’s vacation awesome

Boardwalk Hotel rooms division manager, Topi Mkhonza, answers the phone and said she’s ‘running on adrenalin’. The four-star beachfront hotel in Gqeberha is at 100 per cent occupancy, with conferences and two tour groups in-house.

The Alexandra-born 40-yearold has been a nomad for most of her life and joined Boardwalk in July, following a stint at Sun International’s Wild Coast Sun resort in Port Edward, where she was involved in the rooms division.

After completing her hospitality management studies in 2002, Ms Mkhonza commenced a career in the hotel industry as a guest service attendant at a Bloemfontein hotel, and also worked at Hemingways Hotel in East London as front office manager.

“Wild Coast Sun brought out the best in me. Wherever I am needed, I jump in and assist. You are responsible for every single customer regardless of what area you work in,” Ms Mkhonza said.

She’s now brought her skills to Nelson Mandela Bay and is loving the friendly city. “I have never experienced such love in one place. The weather, however, is the opposite — absolute mood swings, one day has four different seasons.”

Her new role sees her reporting to Boardwalk Complex general manager, Tati Tsunke. “I oversee all hotel operations including reception, front office, porterage and housekeeping.”

With a team of fifteen staff, Ms Mkhonza works daily to make a difference. She is responsible for ensuring service standards are up to date, and that guests are comfortable, but her key duty is managing the guest inventory and ensuring occupancies run at an acceptable level.

“If we are at a low inventory, I look for opportunities in conjunction with the marketing team to fill the rooms. We have to manage upcoming business and ensure rosters are done appropriately to manage the number of guests. I have to ensure that we achieve budget, and that our expenses are controlled,” she said.

A guest meeting an employee on a hotel room floor should receive the same greeting as at the front desk. “There must be a friendly attitude across the board.”

On a weekly basis, she walks the floors checking rooms, and also writes personalised welcome letters for guests booked into suites.

“The hospitality industry creates memorable experiences for people — birthdays, anniversaries. I don’t take that for granted and always strive to do something small to make that occasion worthwhile. Hearing a customer saying, ‘Thanks so much, I had a great time,’ is what I live for.”

Ms Mkhonza is married to Lewis and the couple have three children, Lewis junior, four, Onothando 13, and Khanya, 14.