This August, BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central is celebrating 50 years of service excellence and an outstanding commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
BON Hotels CEO Guy Stehlik says, “Fifty years on and BON Hotel Bloemfontein is still rated as one of the best hotels in South Africa. And while it has a long history and strong roots in the Bloemfontein community, it’s ahead of the curve when it comes to issues of empowerment, sustainability and responsible tourism.”
Inclusive ownership drives transformation
One of the ways the hotel promotes these values is through its shareholding structure. Three shareholders and the staff own the property, with the staff holding a slight majority of shares (fifty-one per cent). The initiative is self-funded from the hotel’s profits.
The hotel also appointed previously-disadvantaged staff members to the board of directors in 2007.
“We are committed to investing in our people and in our community, and are building an inclusive workplace where everyone in the hotel from cleaners to managers has a share in the success of the hotel.”
“It’s a real point of difference – and point of pride – for the BON Hotel team,” says GM Pieter Van Rooyen. “We are committed to investing in our people and in our community, and are building an inclusive workplace where everyone in the hotel from cleaners to managers has a share in the success of the hotel. The staff have ownership which facilitates staff retention through development and promotion – and enhances service delivery. Most of our management team have progressed through the ranks.”
BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central has also partnered with Towers of Hope, an NGO located across the street from the hotel which works to improve the lives of marginalised citizens in the inner-city of Bloemfontein. This is done through upskilling and other empowerment opportunities.
A Gold World Responsible Tourism Award
This commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion was recognised earlier this year when the hotel received a Gold Award in the 2022 World Responsible Tourism Awards Africa.
“It’s an exciting time for the BON Hotel Bloemfontein Central team,” says Stehlik. “Not only can they look back and celebrate 50 years, which is a massive milestone, but they can also look forward to an incredibly bright future as a hotel committed to demonstrable change – and showing others in the industry how it can be done.”
