Thabazimbi: Camp Manager posted by Craven Cottage CC

Duties:
 
Guest Experience
 
Personally welcome all guests upon arrival and assist with suite orientation alongside the Guest Relations team.
Host meals in rotation with the Lodge Manager, ensuring elegance and warmth in guest interactions.
Curate and oversee all special requests, milestone celebrations and bespoke moments, working closely with the Lodge Manager to ensure they are meaningful, discreet and elevated.
Join out-of-lodge experiences such as bush breakfasts and sundowners to enhance key touchpoints in the guest journey.
 
Team & Operations:
 
Directly manage the Guest Relations & Porters team, ensuring seamless communication and elevated service delivery at every touchpoint.
Lead the daily Guest Relations briefing, aligning the team on arrivals, preferences, movements, and daily flow.
Conduct walkthroughs of public and guest spaces throughout the day to ensure standards of beauty, stillness and readiness are upheld.
Facilitate strong interdepartmental communication, ensuring alignment across service, culinary, guides, spa and housekeeping.
Monitor, control and drive shop sales, pricing and stock control.
Maintain full responsibility for the retail stock in the store including costs, stores, losses, discrepancies and expired stock items.
Maintain and uphold Safari Lodge’s service standards and SOPs across the front-of-house operation, ensuring consistency and guest trust.
 
Admin & Systems:
 
Serve as Manager on Duty on a rotating basis.
Complete guest incident reports and ensure correct escalation and follow-up.
Oversee leave approval and rostering for the Guest Relations and Porters team.
Proficient use of ResRequest and TallOrder systems to ensure operational accuracy and guest record integrity.
 
Leadership & Culture:
 
Actively manage radio communications to stay informed of guest movements and team coordination.
Cultivate morale and support across departments by being present, adaptable and proactive.
Lead with quiet confidence, warmth and a hospitality philosophy centred on elegance, presence and intentionality.
Ensure safety awareness and support emergency procedures, responding calmly and efficiently when required.
 
Schedule & Structure:
 
Works primarily the day shift (07h30–16h30), with evening returns for dinner hosting as needed.
Lives on site and follows a 6-week on / 2-week off rotation.
Functions as the Lodge Manager’s second-in-command, with primary ownership of front-of-house guest operations and service rhythm.
 
Requirements:
 
Grade 12
A formal hospitality qualification
Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in a luxury lodge, boutique hotel or five-star hospitality setting.
Proven track record in front-of-house operations, guest services and hosting at a high level.
Deep understanding of luxury guest expectations, with an ability to anticipate needs and exceed them discreetly.
Demonstrated ability to handle guest feedback and complaints with grace, tact, and professionalism.
Skilled in personalised hosting, showing emotional intelligence and authentic presence in guest interactions.
Experience in leading small, multi-disciplinary teams, ideally within a remote lodge setting.
Strong communicator who can lead daily briefings, ensure interdepartmental alignment, and foster a culture of excellence and accountability.
Able to motivate and mentor junior staff, especially in guest relations roles.
Proficient in hospitality systems such as ResRequest (PMS) and TallOrder (POS), or similar platforms.
Strong organisational skills with experience in rostering, leave scheduling, and incident reporting.
Comfortable making operational decisions independently, especially when acting as Manager on Duty or in the Lodge Manager’s absence.