VENUE NEWS

Carmen Rhodes joins Taj Cape Town

Taj Cape Town – the Mother City’s ultimate urban luxury heritage hotel – is delighted to announce the appointment of seasoned industry professional Carmen Rhodes as director of sales and marketing.

Ms Rhodes has climbed the ranks of the hospitality industry, thanks to her unswerving accent on professionalism and a natural flair for the business; an aptitude born of her warmth and determination to create an unforgettable guest experience — values which are in tune with those of Taj Cape Town.

This is not her first stint with the prestigious hotel, known for its unabashed opulence with a touch of Indian-inspired exoticism. Ms Rhodes first joined the group as associate director of sales, corporate and MICE, in 2018.

Ms Rhodes had already built an impressive track record by this time, having taken her very first step in the hospitality industry at the Best Western Cape Suites Hotel, where she completed training in all areas of operations, from reception to reservations, food and beverage, and housekeeping.

“It was a solid grounding that gave me insight into what happens in all areas of a hotel. As I’ve grown within my career, this has positioned me to offer the best experience,” Ms Rhodes mused.

She soon put these skills to work as she started progressing up the ladder, taking on various positions at high profile establishments in her native Cape Town. She gathered experience in other areas of the industry too, including tourism, and gleaned a glimpse of the international industry when she travelled to London.

After several more years spent in a number of different roles, Ms Rhodes and her family immigrated to Australia, returning to South Africa in 2020. She found that she missed the industry and its exciting dynamics during this time and was overjoyed when a two-month long series of online interviews helped her land a position as Senior Sales Manager at the Cape Grace. Sadly, this role was cut short by the hotel’s closure due to Covid, but she took up the mantle once more at Newmark Hotels as group head of sales. During the two years she spent with the company, Ms Rhodes helped to open three hotels (The Rockefeller Hotel, The Catalyst Hotel and The Winchester Hotel) — no small feat, given the beleaguered state of tourism at this time. Ms Rhodes’ involvement extended beyond sales to include developing extensive plans for selling these hotels to clients; a task she admits was challenging, but which she embraced with enthusiasm.

Ms Rhodes said that the diversity of her 25 years in the industry has helped her build a thorough understanding of how the different teams in a hotel fit together to ensure success. Her experience in various areas of the tourism industry has also added a new dimension to her outlook: she has, after all, held posts in areas from travel consultant to site assessor at many leading operators, and maintains strong relationships with these players. “After my journey, working through different roles, I discovered my absolute passion for sales and am thrilled to have taken on the challenge of director of sales at Taj Cape Town,” she commented.

She added that one of her greatest joys is working alongside a team, helping them grow their talent, and then watching them succeed. She’ll have plenty of opportunities to do just this at Taj Cape Town, as the hotel has been on a marked upward trajectory since it refreshed its ground floor last year, introducing a number of new venues and experiences to create a venue that’s ideal for fast-paced business meetings and workshops, international visitors exploring the Mother City, romantic rendezvous and celebratory occasions and family get-togethers alike.

“We are so excited to see Ms Rhodes come on board. Her special brand of talent and extensive network resonates with Taj Hotels’ ethos, and we are looking forward to seeing how she harnesses this to further entrench our brand on the local and international scene to make more special, memorable experiences for our guests,” said Mark Wernich, cluster general manager Africa at Taj Hotels.