Capetonian Rey Franco has been appointed the new resident hotel manager at popular Victoria & Alfred Hotel, the flagship property within the renowned Newmark Hotels, Reserves & Lodges portfolio, and the very first hotel to be built at the famous V&A Waterfront.
Described as an industry leader with 23 years of seasoned experience under his belt, Rey has acquired hands on proficiency across multiple disciplines in the hospitality & tourism industry. The Victoria & Alfred Hotel presents a “dream opportunity”, says Franco. “Joining the winning team of an extremely well established operation and taking it to the next level through exceeding guest experiences at every level, igniting high motivation and driving the entire team to believe they can be better than the best, ultimately putting the V&A at the top of the list of luxury hotels, are my key goals,” explains Rey.
As a young man, Rey joined the Halcyon Hotels group as a waiter with the aim of funding a career as an aircraft pilot, but his interest in the hospitality industry was piqued, and he has never looked back. After completing his National service, he studied a Catering Management Diploma, and Micro MBA. His insatiable passion saw Rey build up a repertoire of successfully completed hospitality and tourism training. After five “great years” with Halcyon Hotels, of which three were as a Restaurant Manager for the famous Blues Restaurant, Rey’s ensuing career saw him contributing to a number of senior positions with well-known hotels and such as The Palace at Sun City, The Mount Grace Hotel & Spa, Villa Via, Cellars Hohenort Hotel & Spa, Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa, and Cape Royale Luxury Hotel & Spa and has further been involved in highly successful restaurant brands in the Cape Town region.
Rey consulted between 2010 and 2011 where, amongst a number of strategic projects, he was involved with the opening team of the Pepperclub Luxury Hotel & Spa. During 2010, Rey successfully bided and was awarded contracts to run multiple beverage operations for the FIFA World Cup soccer Fan Zones.
Rey has held the position as Director of FEDHASA Cape’s Restaurant Sector for the last seven years, and was previously engaged as a Director of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, Trustee of the Tourism and Catering Hospitality Pension Fund of South Africa, as well as a Trustee of the Cape Coast Chamber of Commerce.
“The unique diversity of the hospitality industry is what I thrive on, especially in this day and age where, by stepping out of our comfort zones and using the technology at our fingertips we can go a very long way to exceeding guest expectations. It is a great privilege to be given the opportunity to take the Victoria & Alfred Hotel forward after a successful 22 years of operation.
Outside of the hotel, Rey is a keen photographer and enjoys fishing, travel and spending time with his family.
