Inside the international training programme shaping a new generation of personalised luxury at one of South Africa’s most intimate safari hideaways
At Clifftop Exclusive Safari Hideaway, the most impressive moments are rarely the ones that make it onto Instagram. Instead, it looks like someone remembering how you take your coffee. It sounds like your name being used before you introduce yourself. It feels like a problem being solved before you even realise you have one.
That kind of service isn’t instinct. It’s learned.
Recently, a group of Clifftop’s butlers and duty managers completed specialised training with the SABA International Butler Academy – one of the world’s leading institutions for professional butler development – refining the skills behind the seamless guest experience the lodge is known for.
“The tone was set from the moment the trainers arrived,” says Sarika Ramjee, Assistant Operations Manager at The Extraordinary Group. “It didn’t feel like a course. It felt like being invited into a completely different way of thinking about service.”
The programme went far beyond traditional hospitality training. Alongside practical service skills, the team explored emotional intelligence, body language, cultural etiquette and memory techniques designed to help them engage with guests more intuitively.
“We learned how to read micro-behaviours – the way someone enters a room, how they speak, even what they hesitate over. Those details tell you far more than a booking form ever could.”
One standout exercise involved designing a guest stay from scratch. Trainees had to research a guest’s nationality, interests and lifestyle, then build personalised experiences around what SABA calls “Golden Nuggets” – small, thoughtful touches that make guests feel genuinely understood. This is where theory becomes instinct.
“It’s about listening beyond the words. Not just what guests say, but what they mean. Sometimes it’s even offering them something they didn’t know they wanted.”
Guests, it seems, are noticing. There’s been a shift in feedback. People speak less about the rooms and more about how they felt – warmth, care, attentiveness. That’s the difference between a beautiful stay and a memorable one.
For Clifftop, the investment was never just about refinement. It has always been about the people.
“When you invest in your staff, you invest in your business. Our butlers feel more confident and valued, and we’ve seen a real drop in turnover in key positions.”
The training also reflects a broader philosophy within the Extraordinary group – one that treats hospitality as a career path, not a temporary job.
“When people grow, everything grows,” concludes Ramjee. “Confidence becomes leadership. Skills become pride. And people start to see a future in what they do.”
For many of Clifftop’s butlers, the SABA programme is more than a certificate. It’s a moment of professional identity, and proof that what they do is a craft, a discipline, and a future.
In an industry obsessed with aesthetics and excess, Clifftop’s story offers a quieter definition of luxury.
Not what you see.
Not what you’re shown.
But how well, and how deeply, you’re understood.
