The Rosebank staff make the difference

The Rosebank prides itself on being a different hotel, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the attitudes of its front-line staff.

Many of the people who work at the Rosebank have years of experience in the hospitality industry. Those that don’t, bring a unique blend of skills from other industries to broaden the skills set at The Rosebank, ensuring that every need of the guests is catered to with enthusiasm and intelligence, much like marrying cultivars and vintages of wines to create a unique, world-class Rosebank blend.

That The Rosebank is a chic and stylish place to work helps the people who work there to live the hotel’s philosophy. The muted tones and muffled white noise of traditional hotels are nowhere to be found, and instead, visitors encounter vibrant colours, trendy and tasteful furnishings, and music and signature aromas created especially for this unique hotel.

From the moment guests walk through the door
Elmarie Malherbe, guest relations manager, greets guests as they arrive at The Rosebank. Her experience as an air hostess has made client service her second nature, and given her international exposure to different countries and cultures. Her enthusiasm for the hotel is given expression in the way that she greets her guests.

“The hotel is a 360-degree conversation piece,” she says. “It’s an interactive environment that satisfies all the senses, and I’m there to provide that sixth sense that makes our guests feel at home.”

Wilmarie Lamprecht, assistant guest relations manager, agrees wholeheartedly. “It’s a sexy hotel – who wouldn’t want to be here?” she asks, smiling in her “official uniform”, a tasseled cocktail dress. “We’re here to put people at ease, to help them to make the hotel their home. People feel comfortable, their names are known, we ask them how their day was and connect people from the same countries or line of business. We’re like the link between people who stay here.”

Jane Mello, who has a background in theatre and presenting also speaks highly of her job as a guest relations manager. “We’re well aware that it’s different here,” she says. “The feeling is unexplainable, and we make sure that everything is possible for our guests.”

Cynthia Ghiti, the front office guest relations assistant, is full of enthusiasm and sass. “We want the friendliness of our people to be unique,” she says. “Their first time should wow them, so that they tell their friends.”

In charge of Food and Bev
The unique reception of The Rosebank is a light and airy, fashionable space, with a constellation of food and beverage outlets providing unexpected delights in the interlinking spaces. Carlos Vala and Victor Melato are the assistant food and beverage managers in charge of these areas and there to greet guests with the warmth and enthusiasm that typifies the hotel.

Yala has years of experience in hotels, having worked his way up from a gardener at Sandton Sun through all the levels of waitering and restaurant management. “We do whatever we have to satisfy our guests,” he says. “We want them to come back again, so if they are happy, we are happy. We want them to feel at home, welcome and free.”

Melato has eight years of experience in hotel restaurants, and is absolutely committed to the professionalism of his post. “We believe in solving problems before they come up,” he says. “It is important not to allow a problem to grow bigger and to keep the guests happy.”

They also take their responsibility to the staff that train under them very seriously. “We are responsible for staff discipline and on-the-job training,” says Melato. “We want them to become the best people they can be. We are their fathers, there to motivate and discipline.”

Moving in illustrious circles
Nowhere in The Rosebank is the hotel’s unique approach to décor and service more keenly felt than in the Circle Bar. The bar staff are friendly and personable, dressed in a casual but stylish wardrobe designed to make them feel comfortable while still representing the professionalism of the hotel.

“Visitors mix with the bar staff, because we are funky and fresh in the way that we carry ourselves, the way that we dress and our bubbly personalities,” says Lizelle Haman, the hostess at the bar, who studied communications and worked at a promotions company in Durban before joining the staff of The Rosebank. “We know we are attracting South Africa’s top range of clients, and we want to keep them coming back.”

A team effort
Wherever guests go and whomever they encounter at The Rosebank, the attitudes are the same. From Wisdom Zijhali, the supervisor of the Rosebank Café, who relies on his own experience as a guest in a luxury hotel when he won a service essay competition to guide how he treats his guests. He is particularly proud of the training he has had in Café Latte Arte design, a coffee pouring and serving certification. “We give guests service beyond their expectations,” he says.

Walter Galawe, the barista who works at the Rosebank Café enthuses about his working space, and the hotel management. “The environment is really great, and this is the first hotel I’ve worked in where I’ve had the privilege to suggest something to the bosses, have it implemented and the bosses being so pleased that they came back to thank me.”

Edson Makabele, the banqueting assistant manager is likewise proud of the hotel he works in. “It’s different because it’s stylish as well as cheeky,” he says. “We go the extra mile to make sure people feel welcomed and looked after.”

Mami Mokoena, the banqueting supervisor, was on the project team that oversaw the closing down of the old Rosebank Hotel, went into training at another five-star establishment during the refurbishment, and has returned to the new building astonished to see how much has changed. “Service should be fresh, simple and personal,” she says. “People shouldn’t just come for dinner and go, they should feel like they were part of a family.”

Behind the scenes
With such great focus on service excellence on the front line, there is also a great buzz going on behind the scenes, and although the people who work in housekeeping or the kitchens don’t deal with guests every day, they are no less proud of the work that they do or the impact that it will have.

David Ubisi, is the hot kitchen sous chef for the hotel restaurants. With years of experience in hotel kitchens, he’s enjoying the challenge of getting to grips with a new hotel. “For me it’s good, a big challenge,” he says. “I have to be the way the company wants me to be. I want to see more guests coming to the hotel because I like to be busy.”

Peter Labistour, the executive housekeeper of the hotel, has a wealth of experience behind the scenes at five-star hotels. He describes his role as that of the house elves in the Harry Potter books. If you have no idea that he’s there, it’s a sign of good housekeeping.

“For guests to have a good experience of the hotel, I rely on my staff,” he says. “It’s up to me to motivate them to feel good about themselves and the job that they do. There’s time for a joke, and then there’s more time for serious work.”

Although the unusual décor of the hotel does present some cleaning challenges, he says it’s good for the self-esteem of his team to walk through the beautiful spaces in the building, and to know that they are keeping their area clean.

With such passion behind the scenes and at the front of house, The Rosebank’s refurbishment is enhanced by the attitudes of its staff. With their enthusiasm for the remarkable building that they work in and the good service that they can provide against this backdrop, The Rosebank’s team truly contributes to making it a different hotel.

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