Our Blog | Sam Hospitality Training

Things to Consider Before Setting up your Own B&B | Point of View Kaya FM Interview with Samkeliso Nkwanyane

Things to Consider Before Setting up your Own B&B | Point of View Kaya FM Interview with Samkeliso Nkwanyane Bed and breakfast (B&B) establishments are one of the most rewarding ways to become a business owner within the tourism industry. If getting into a new exciting chapter through entrepreneurship is your goal this year considering a B&B should be an option to be on top of your list. The beauty of a B&B lies in owning your own little place that you can transform into the perfect accommodation option for guests and a fun way to make a living. Hospitality Coach, Samkeliso Nkwanyane joins us on the line to help you with all you need to know about getting into the sector. Nkwanyane spoke about how important it is to have the right mindset and characteristics bef...

Hotel Preopening | All You Need to Know

Hotel Preopening | All You Need to Know Whether you are planning to launch a boutique hotel, lodge, resort or a hotel, the preopening period is the most critical and challenging stage. There is a lot you have to consider as this stage can either make or break your brand. We will take you through some of the most critical aspects to consider. We will break down hotel preopening planning into 9 elements: Administration Legal compliance Systems – Software and Hardware Financial plan Marketing plan Rooms Division plan Food & Beverage plan Risk Management Human resources Administration This is one of the most important aspects you have to consider on preopening and includes the following: Determining insurance needs and getting quotes from different insurance provid...

Sam Hospitality Conducts Onsite Training at Ruaha River Lodge, Tanzania

Sam Hospitality Conducts Onsite Training at Ruaha River Lodge, Tanzania We had the great pleasure to offer our onsite training at Ruaha River Lodge in Tanzania. Our expert trainer, Samkeliso Nkwanyane, travelled to the lodge which is situated in Ruaha National Park to conduct our onsite training. The training took place from 28th May to 13th June 2023 and covered service excellence, housekeeping, front of house service, bar service and front office. Our training is always tailored to your lodge needs. Ruaha River Lodge is set on one of the most stunning stretches of the Great Ruaha River, you can see game throughout the day from the comfort of your veranda; there can surely be few other camps as perfectly situated. Ruaha is split across two locations, with one dining banda alon...

Frontline Staff Training on Customer Service Excellence

Frontline Staff Training on Customer Service Excellence The first impressions are lasting. Your establishment will be judged based on how your customer was received. It is said that 68% customers leave and choose your competitors because of bad attitude they received from your staff. Frontline staff play a major role in creating experiences to your customers. Whether you are running a small or big firm, a hospital or any other medical practices, or any company, training your frontline staff on customer service excellence is vital. Your customers are your biggest assets and it not well taken care of, they will leave your company and spend their money elsewhere. In most cases, trainings are run inhouse, however, if you are looking for an external service provider, Sam Hospitali...

Why You Should List Your Guest House on Airbnb

Why You Should List Your Guest House on Airbnb With the ever-changing trends, accommodation owners are often left wondering on what really works for their businesses. One of the questions in 2023 is, “Should I list my establishment on Airbnb?”. Well, the answer to this one is straightforward. Yes! Whether you are running a small B&B, Guest House, Lodge, Boutique Hotel or Apartment Hotel, yes, you should list your establishment on Airbnb. Our hospitality expert who has spent more than 20 years in the hospitality industry, Samkeliso (Sam) Nkwanyane, explains why it is important to list your establishment on Airbnb (and the other online travel agents). “Currently, there are more that 4 million Airbnb Hosts worldwide and over 6 million listings. Airbnb has more than 150 mill...

Top 10 Best Lodges in South Africa | Our Handpicked Establishments

Top 10 Best Lodges in South Africa | Our Handpicked Establishments When it comes to Lodges, we rate South Africa as one of the best when it comes to what we offer. Lodges are usually situated in remote areas, outside of town and offer activities such as game viewing, nature viewing, in addition to providing accommodation and meals. Hotels are usually situated in the cities. Here are the top 10 best lodges we have handpicked in South Africa. These are lodges we have been to: Thanda Safari Private Game Reserve, Hluhluwe, Kwazulu Nata Shamwari Game Reserve, Eastern Cape Morukuru Family, Madikwe, North West AmaKhosi Safari Lodge, Kwazulu Natal Savanna Lodge, Sabi Sand Game Reserve Tula Baba Exclusive Lodge & Venue, Brits, North West Rhino Ridge Safari Lodge, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi...

Hospitality Training | On-site | Foxes Safari Camps | Tanzania

Hospitality Training | On-site | Foxes Safari Camps | Tanzania It was with the greatest pleasure to travel to Tanzania to offer our on-site training to 6 camps and safari lodges owned and run by Foxes Safari Camps. The lodges are situated in various areas across Tanzania. The training was aimed at improving customer experience in all aspects of the lodges and camps. The training took month and was focused on customer service excellence, housekeeping staff, food & beverage service including waiters and bartenders, hosting and guiding. Lazy Lagoon Island Lodge Lazy Lagoon Island Lodge is situated 70km north of Dar es Salaam and accessed from Mbegani Fisheries Institute. The lodge is only accessed by boat. The lodge features 12 en-suite beach bandas with twin or double beds, ...

Restaurant Wine Service Guide | How to Serve Wine SOP

Restaurant Wine Service Guide | How to Serve Wine | Waiter SOP As the old saying goes, ‘good food and good wine go together’, many restaurants patrons go to restaurants to enjoy food and wine. Some restaurants employ a wine sommelier or wine steward to serve wine while in other restaurants, it is the duty of the waiter or waitress to serve wine to customers. Your customers expect you to know how to serve wine when you are working in a restaurant. As a waiter, you should know the 10 steps of service in order for you to be successful in your job. In this post, we will be helping those who wish to learn the proper etiquette in serving wine in a restaurant. We will discuss the following: Serving wine step by step Serving two or more bottles of wine to the same table Serving wine...

How to Set Up Your Guest House Rates | Ultimate Guide to B&B Management

How to Set Up Your Guest House Rates | Ultimate Guide to B&B Management Now you have been successful in setting up your B&B or guest house and you have complied with all the legal requirements for guest houses – congratulations. The next step is very critical in the success of your business – setting up your rates. Setting up rates is a fine balance. It can either make or break your business. If you charge too high, you risk losing customers to your competitors and if you charge too low, you run the risk of making little to no profit and worse failing to breakeven! Here are the tips to set up your guest house rates: Tip# 1 Do your research The first step to setting up your rates is doing your research. Look at what other establishments in your area are charging. You are goin...

Handling Group Check-in | Hotel Front Office SOP

Handling Group Check-in | Hotel Front Office SOP From time to time, hotels get tourist groups. Group check-ins should be handled different to individual check ins. Front Office staff must be trained on handling group check-ins to avoid unnecessary delays and frustrations. In this article, Samkeliso Nkwanyane, our Hospitality Coach, Speaker and Consultant will unpack the procedures front desk staff must follow to allow a smooth, hassle-free group check-in. We will look at the following: Preparation for arrival Preparation of documentation Interdepartmental communication Special requests Check-in process Registration Guest arrival Preparation for Arrival Being familiar with hotel procedures and being able to identify customer needs facilitates eff...

Dusting Guest Rooms | Hotel Housekeeping SOP 2025

How to Clean a Airbnb Unit | Property Cleaning Procedure SOP | 2025

Silver Service Procedures | The Ultimate Guide for Restaurants | SOP | 2025

Hotel Butler Duties & Responsibilities | SOP

Hotel Butler Duties & Responsibilities | SOP Most 5 star hotels and resorts offer butler service as a optional extra to guests who are willing to pay for someone to do the planning for them while they enjoy their holiday. The main duties and responsibilities of the hotel butler is to offer personalized service to high-end guests. In most cases, butler service is offered to guests staying in the most luxurious suites, In short, the butler takes care of the guest's planning. This includes dinner bookings, lunch service, spa bookings, excursions, packing guest's clothing, romantic turndowns, etc. The butler must anticipate the guest's needs. Duties and responsibilities vary from one hotel to the other. Here are some of the duties and responsibilities of a hotel butler: Guest...

Customer Service in the Hospitality Industry | SOP

Customer Service in the Hospitality Industry | SOP Each person operating in a hospitality industry must treat customers with respect, giving the best possible service. This includes all aspects of maintaining customer care and dealing with complaints and incidents. The Importance of the Customer The better the customer care given to customers, the more business they will do with your company and the more business the company generates, the more profit it stands to make. This enables the company to pay competitive salaries and therefore makes good business sense to look after customers as a disciplined practice. Customers are not dependent on you, you are dependent on them as they pay the salaries and without them businesses have to close down an as a result people would lose th...

Hotel Front Office Responsibilities | SOP

Hotel Front Office Responsibilities | SOP The front office department is the nerve centre of every hotel. Regardless of the size, each hotel relies on the front office department to efficiently run its operations. This department is at the core of every hotel operations. The primary responsibilities of front office include: Taking guests reservations Co-ordinating with various departments prior to guests’ arrival Dealing with guests check-ins and check-outs Handling financial transactions Handling guests’ complaints and requests Personal requirements for working in hotel front office In order for you to succeed in the front office, you need to have the following requirements: Be friendly, courteous and helpful at all times. Be able to assist guests with minimum Engl...