Interview: Genevieve Benjamin, Duty Manager at Holiday Inn Express Cape Town
26. Oct, 2009
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Briefly introduce yourself, your age and educational background?
Genevieve Benjamin, aged 21. Matric.
How long have you been in your current position and what were you doing before that?
1 year six months. Previously employed at Virgin Mobile as a telesales operator.
What attracted you to the hospitality industry?
I enjoy meeting new people from all over the world and our country, and enjoy the social communication it provides working in this industry.
How many languages can you speak?
English and Afrikaans.
How do you deal with angry guests?
Firstly, listening to what they have to say is most important. Once I understand the request, I can then assist with their query or question. If I cannot resolve the issue or answer the question, I will defer to a senior manager.
How many hours a day is your shift and do you sometimes work overtime?
9 hours per day. Overtime as required or when requested by management.
Is there room for career growth within your department?
Not within the current hotel I am employed at, but definitely within the group. New hotels are coming on stream each month, so the possibilities are endless.
What don’t you like about your work?
Nothing. I love my job, the environment within which I work, get along very well with my colleagues, management, and enjoy the guest interaction.
How has the use of technology impacted on your daily duties?
In the tourism industry having access to online technology makes life easier in terms of assisting with guest requests for information on our city, county, events, visitor attractions etc. We would be very lost without technology, and our work would take that much longer to process within a 24 hour period.
Given an opportunity to speak to the hotel CEO about your welfare at work, what would you like him/her to address?
Aside from the fact that we spend long hours on our feet – which comes with the territory, there isn’t anything to address. Staff is very well looked after.
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My name is Muzi Mohale a full-time travel blogger, your host at Travelwires.com responsible for all editorial on this blog. I blog about the travel and tourism industry in Africa. Apart from blogging about tourism, I also run 
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