MARKET NEWS

Boardwalk Hotel and Casino appoints new duty managers

Nelson Mandela’s Playground, Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, has appointed two new hotel duty managers to keep the four-star Sun International beachfront hotel in top shape.

Lubabalo Gxaleka and Busisiwe Vellem are responsible for front office operations, managing the cleaning contractor, staff morale, and performance to keep the hotel functioning at optimum levels. The two alternate shifts ensure the hotel is covered by a duty manager 12 hours a day.

When Mr Gxaleka grew up in the Transkei, the idea of hospitality as a career did not enter his thoughts. “After school, I started working in IT and got into hospitality by chance. I gave a friend my CV and I started as a barman at a hotel,” he said. A few years later he studied for a Bachelor of Commerce in hospitality management and project management in hotel opening at NHL Stenden University. He also holds a certification in hotel industry analytics from the American Hotel and Lodging Association. “Hospitality is my passion, even though I knew nothing about it when I started. I have fallen in love with helping people and it was a blessing in disguise because there are many opportunities,” Mr Gxaleka said.

The 36-year-old has returned to Gqeberha after 14 years and is adjusting to life in Nelson Mandela Bay. “I am currently studying management at Regent Business School, so I don’t have much leisure time, except to visit my nine-year-old daughter Siyolise in Port Alfred.”

Ms Vellem, who joined Boardwalk in 2012, has worked her way up from the housekeeping department to the front desk, and now, works with Mr Gxaleka managing a team of 13. “I had aspirations after school to become a nurse, but financial constraints led me to get a bursary to complete a marketing management certificate from Buffalo City College.”

The Qonce-born mother of two said she fell into hospitality by accident after moving to Nelson Mandela Bay. “I completed a housekeeping learnership programme through SETA, then became a desk clerk, housekeeping supervisor, and assistant housekeeper. I also did my in-service training at reception, and I have learned so much in the past 12 years. You never get bored,” Ms Vellem said.