Rhulani Safari Lodge has promoted 26 year old Thomas Hendrick Nicolaas Basson - also known as "Tom" - to the new Lodge Manager effective 1 June 2024. Tom, at the head of a 30-person strong team, will be responsible for ensuring Rhulani’s standard and service promise and the well-being of our guests. We congratulate Tom and wish him much luck and fulfillment for the start of this new journey.
Tom joined Rhulani on 20 January 2020 when we needed reinforcements in the front of house, especially in the reservation office. With his good administrative knowledge, but above all with his warm personality and willingness to help, he quickly earned recognition from both his colleagues and our guests.
"Rhulani is a feeling. I want guests to experience that feeling."
Tom-Hendrik Basson
Lodge Manager Rhulani Safari Lodge
The start was a bit bumpy and Tom only got a brief glimpse of what a normal day-to-day routine at Rhulani looks like. Just two months after the start, the operation fell into a nearly two-year sleep mode due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, with Tom showing great team spirit and understanding in our plans to ensure minimal operations and prepare for reopening.
Tom grew up in a rural area in a family with 3 siblings, where a career in farming was almost inevitable. But Tom started a career in the hotel industry. He was interested in the latest developments on how to offer the best standard of service and has always been a great supporter of Rhulani's collaboration with the International Butler Academy SABA. There is a saying that if you want to work successfully in a hotel, you have to love people. And this saying certainly applies to Tom.
Tom says: "Rhulani is a feeling. I want guests to experience that feeling." With this motto we welcome Tom in his new role and wish him all the best.
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