MOVERS & SHAKERS: Promotions and appointments at Protea Hotels

Close to a dozen transfers and promotions are being announced by Protea Hotels across South Africa.

The head office promotions are:

•  Gary Koetser: Cape Regional Manager for Protea Hotels & African Pride Hotels: Gary , the former GM of Cape Town’s premier conferencing hotel African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa, has been appointed as Cape Regional Manager, with oversight of a number of key Cape Town hotels, as well as several hotels in the Free State and Northern Cape. Koetser has a several hospitality qualifications, including the three-year Protea Hotels Diploma in Hospitality Service Management and Hospitality Management 1, 2 and 3 from the former Cape Technikon. He has also completed a General Managers’ Programme at Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration. Koetser has extensive experience across many hotel divisions and prior to his appointment as GM at African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa, was GM of Protea Hotel Sea Point, Protea Hotel Tyger Valley and Protea Hotel Saldanha Bay.

• Victoria McLachlan: Business Optimisation Director for Boulevard Hotel Group (the Owners of Protea Hotel Manor, Protea Hotel Witbank, Protea Hotel Capital, Protea Hotel Highveld): On June 1 Protea Hotel Manor GM Victoria  become Business Optimisation Director of Boulevard Hotel Group. Having a Management and Cost Accounting background, hospitality was a career switch for McLachlan. She  joined the Boulevard Group, of which several hotels fall under the Protea Hotels brand, in 2009 as Sales and Marketing Director, then became GM of Protea Hotel Manor in 2012 to gain more operational hospitality experience. Her new role will see her focusing on systems optimisation across the board within the group’s hotels.

The new GM appointments across the country are as follows:

• African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa” Carolyn Jones has been with Protea Hotels for more than 20 years, initially starting as a trainee, then completing her three-year Diploma in Hospitality Service Management. She was on the opening team of Protea Hotel President, and worked at Protea Hotel Midrand, Protea Hotel Victoria Junction and African Pride Tinga Private Game Lodge before moving to Johannesburg. Jones became Deputy General Manager at African Pride Melrose Arch Hotel, then took on her first GM posting at Protea Hotel Mafikeng. She was GM at Protea Hotel Midrand and Protea Hotel Wanderers before taking over this month at African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa, Cape Town’s premier conferencing hotel.

• Arabella Hotel & Spa: Wayne Siepman completed his National Diploma in Hotel Management in Johannesburg, then launched his hospitality career of more than two decades in Mpumalanga. He has worked in hospitality in London, Tanzania, Swaziland and Botswana, before finally settling back in South Africa at the Bay Hotel in Camps Bay. He spent five years at Arabella Hotel & Spa as Operations Manager before becoming Leisure General Manager at Spier for two and a half years. Siepman returned to Arabella Hotel & Spa in April as General Manager.

• Protea Hotel Wanderers: Natalie Botha is the new GM of Protea Hotel Wanderers after having served as GM of Protea Hotel Centurion for just over 5 years. Botha started her career with Protea Hotels in 1994, initially starting as a trainee then completing her 3 year Diploma in Hospitality Management. Botha was part of the opening TEAM for PH Waterfront. She then left to work in the UK as Front Office Manager for Hilton UK, returning 3 years later to work as RDM for Protea Hotel Waterfront. She then went on to work at AP Melrose Arch and PH Wanderers before taking on her 1^st GM post at Protea Hotel Samrand in 2009.

• Protea Hotel Capital – David Gray attended the Hilton Hotel School at the University of Houston in the United States. When he returned to South Africa he worked for the Karos Hotel Group and Southern Sun Hotels. In 1997 Gray opened the Protea Hotel Witbank as General Manager for the Boulevard Hotel Group. He takes over as GM of Protea Hotel on July 1.

• Protea Hotel Witbank – Sharleen Horsley moves across town to a familiar stomping ground when she becomes GM of Protea Hotel Witbank on July 1. Horsley received her Diploma in Travel & Tourism in Johannesburg, then worked in KwaZulu-Natal before returning to her home town in Mpumalanga. Horsley worked at Protea Hotel Witbank as Front Office Manager, Reservations Manager and Rooms Division Manager before moving to Protea Hotel Highveld as GM in 2008, where she currently still holds that position.

• Protea Hotel Highveld – Zhan-Jacques Stoltz’s career has spanned nearly 20 years and he initially rose through the ranks of the Protea Hotels Sales TEAM, at the same time garnering an IMM Diploma in Marketing Management. Stoltz moved to the Don Suite Hotel Group for four years, then returned to the Protea Hotels fold with stints at Protea Hotel Stellenbosch and Protea Hotel Tyger Valley. He is currently Deputy GM of Protea Hotel Witbank.

• Protea Hotel Manor – Siyanda Dlamini becomes GM of Protea Hotel Manor on July 1. Dlamini has been with Protea Hotels for 13 years.mHe started as a trainee at the Protea Hotel San Lamer and completed his training at The Protea Hotel Victoria Junction. He then moved to the Protea Hotel President where he became The Food & Beverage Manager. Dlamini was later appointed the opening Rooms Division Manager for the African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa. Prior to his appointment as General Manager for The Protea Hotel Manor, Dlamini was the General Manager at The Protea Hotel Tyger Valley where he facilitated the hotel’s refurbishment and the building of the conference centre.

• Protea Hotel Durbanville – Nico Myburgh may be new to the Protea family having only joined last month, but not to the hospitality industry. And with some 20 years of service behind him, he remains ever passionate and excited about it. Myburgh studied Personnel Management and successfully completed his three years at the Technikon OFS in Bloemfontein.  He did a further two years intern development training with a top hotel group in conjunction with the Wits Hotel School. From his humble hospitality beginnings as a receptionist he worked his way up to Duty Manager, Rooms Division Manager and Deputy General Manager at various hotels within South Africa.

• Protea Hotel Tyger Valley – Anso Venter takes up her first GM posting at Protea Hotel Tyger Valley in Cape Town. Venter trained at Lanzerac Manor in Stellenbosch, then spent a number of years working in hotels in the UK and Dubai before returning to South Africa. She has worked at three Cape Town hotels in the group, the last of them as Deputy GM of the deluxe executive and conferencing destination, African Pride Crystal Towers Hotel & Spa. This will stand her in good stead to grow the conferencing business of the busy northern suburbs hotel that she takes over from Siyanda Dlamini.