Using years of hospitality experience to reimagine hospitality

Sun International’s beautiful hotel in Cape Town, The Table Bay, has fallen silent during the national lockdown, but behind the scenes, General Manager Joanne Selby and her team are hard at work preparing reopening plans.

Born in Canada, Selby’s family moved to Durban in her childhood. After studying Economics at University of Cape Town and later the London Business School, Selby discovered the hospitality industry opened a door to the world – to new people and places and cultures. But it was her and husband Nicholas’s goal to end up in Cape Town to be closer to her family, and in 2015, she joined The Table Bay hotel.

All the lessons she has learned over 27 years in the hospitality industry in three countries have been brought to bear in recreating the hotel experience after the COVID-19 pandemic. “How will we convey our smiles to customers behind masks?” she asks.

“When the hotel re-opens, we need to provide a safe destination for our staff and ultimately, our guests. Table Bay Hotel is renowned for service, so we have reimagined the customer journey to ensure that the hotel remains our customer’s favourite address.”

Over the course of her career, which has seen her working at Sun City’s The Palace, and spending 11 years at Zambia’s Falls Resort in Livingstone, holding the position of General Manager at The Royal Livingstone and various positions at Fancourt Hotel and Country Club, Selby has witnessed new technologies transforming the travel industry. Now COVID-19 regulations have led to further new technology being introduced to ensure staff and guest health and safety.

Unessential soft furnishings and décor items have been removed, and in a clever twist, inflatable versions of the hotel’s Oscar the Seal mascot have been placed on chairs to ensure social distancing.

“Our beautiful directory of service in the rooms will go digital and be on the televisions, menus will be scanned with QR codes on mobile phones, buffets are out and serving guests is in.”

Electrostatic sanitisers have been purchased to clean the rooms, which will be sealed after being sanitised. “Guests will be asked if they want their rooms cleaned, if not, they will be given their own cleaning kit.”

Each member of staff has to complete four modules of online training around the new protocols, and watch videos on how to correctly wear and clean PPE. “Staff will be surveyed on arrival at work before starting a shift.”

The Table Bay hotel’s doors have been open for 23 years, and the staff has witnessed children growing up, weddings, birthdays and even memorials. “We have been reaching out to our regulars across the world to check how they are - one American guest sent pictures of their grandson with an Oscar mascot, while locals sent pictures of them recreating a special Table Bay hotel meal at home. We aim to make the hotel a place where our clientele feels at home – I think people are really craving that comfort factor now during the pandemic.”

One success she is particularly proud of over past five years is developing her people. “Succession planning is a big part of managing a hotel. Our reservations manager used to be the juice attendant in the restaurant, just one of our many team members who have grown with Sun International. We also nominated concierge Moira Mdakana for the Les Clefs d’Or ‘Golden Keys’, and she went on to become the first black woman in the South African travel industry to achieve this prestigious award.”

“The Table Bay hotel has a very international clientele, and along with our regular locals, we look forward to showing off our fabulous hospitality once again.”