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Legend Hospitality Group
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Hospitality
South Africa’s hospitality market is one of the most vibrant and fast-growing sectors of its economy, with a particular emphasis on high-grade hotel and leisure facilities. Here interview Mart Cilliers, managing director of the Legend Hospitality Group, owner of the Legend Lodges hotels in Mozambique, Botswana and South Africa.
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he Legend group was established in 1999 by Roy Tucker and Peet and Mart Cilliers as a hotel management, sales and marketing company, aiming to “introduce South Africans and international business and leisure tourists to the country’s numerous, diverse attractions, offering a combination of unique luxury products.” According to Cillers, “Initially the business was known as ‘Legend Lodges, Hotels &
Resorts’, but as more products in South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana were added to the portfolio, it was changed to the new brand name of Legend Hospitality Group, in 2015.” Cilliers credits the 2010 World Cup in particular as boosting growth in the sector, although she says that the hotel sector in South Africa has grown immensely over the last 20 years. Sales and marketing trends are changing quickly, with a focus on digital and
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system-driven direct marketing, although the traditional ways of booking holidays are still seeing good business.
Luxury low-tech
The dynamics of the hotel sector are changing. Customers are increasingly expecting luxury experiences, with top-level service and innovative offerings. As well as this, guests are starting to look for more sustainable or deliberately lowtech holidays. While city hotels integrate technology with their
“Sales and marketing trends are changing quickly, with a focus on digital and systemdriven direct marketing, although the traditional ways of booking holidays are still seeing good business.
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L e g e n d
service delivery, more rural hotels and lodges like Legend’s are beginning to focus on providing ‘tech free’ holidays or putting increased emphasis on green technology. While investor optimism is improving, the South African hotel sector still faces challenges and potential difficulties. Political and economic instability is still a problem, as it negatively effects potential investors’ opinions of South African businesses. We asked Cilliers about the Legend Group’s intended solutions. “To overcome these challenges, it is important to provide investors with the whole picture and not only the negative aspects shown by the media, while emphasizing the value of our specific investor opportunities and the benefits of
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“While city hotels integrate technology with their service delivery, more rural hotels and lodges like Legend’s are beginning to focus on providing ‘tech free’ holidays or putting increased emphasis on green technology.
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investing in Southern Africa in the long run.” The Legend group also believes that motivated, well-educated employees are key in ensuring a hotel business runs successfully. “In tourism it is important to keep on growing the potential of every worker. We regard our Legend Hospitality School with its fulltime accredited hospitality courses as vital to the sustainability of the group. The School offers opportunities for young people entering the hospitality workplace and existing staff with potential to get professional qualifications and training. Our internal on-site training courses and ongoing in-house skills training are also crucial for the growth of human potential and quality of service to the guests.
Hospitality
Our staff is our biggest asset and we have a hands-on approach from senior management down to motivate our staff and give them in-house opportunities to become the best they can be.”
A uniquely African experience
Providing top-quality service while retaining a uniquely African identity is a challenge that many hotel chains are facing in the new market. It’s important to maintain the balance between the standards required for a modern hotel while introducing local African ambience and stylish touches to make sure the business has a distinctly African identity. “Our hotel sector offers products and experiences which are unique in the world and refl ective of our
diverse landscapes, wildlife and cultures.” Going forward, Cilliers is confi dent about the future of the Legend Hospitality Group and the industry as a whole. “The outlook for our company for the rest of 2016 and beyond looks very promising. As the corporate business market in South Africa has been fairly fl at in 2016, we are focusing on the international and incentive markets for groups, as we offer perfect destinations with exciting attractions.” Cilliers mentions that the Group is expanding to represent more properties in additional regions to provide guests with even more variety. She’s also optimistic about the recent fall in value of the rand: “The depreciation of our currency
is a benefi t as it means our international business and leisure travellers get good value for money. We are also encouraging local leisure travel within South Africa, to create a better balance of different markets for our portfolio of products.”
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Central Reservations Office T: +27 12 443 6700 F: +27 12 361 5674 E: reservations@legendlodges.co.za
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www.essentialbusinessmag.com ŠEssential Business Magazine 2016