Guesthouse Manager

Tourism is currently the fastest growing industry in South Africa. Overseas tourists find South Africa sunny, interesting and affordable, which makes it a very appealing holiday destination. Guesthouse accommodation, also referred to as bed and breakfast (B & B), is in high demand due to the general availability, as well as the more personal and informal atmosphere compared to hotels.

Guesthouse managers are in most cases, also the owners of their guesthouses, running their own small business. This therefore requires them to fulfil different roles and perform a variety of duties such as:

Administration: Making of bookings, managing of finances, ordering of supplies etc.

Maintenance: Upkeep of the interior and exterior of the guesthouse, the managing of domestic workers and gardeners

Planning of meals: Developing and compiling of menus, estimating food quantities and costs, purchasing of food supplies, preparation of food and supervision of kitchen helpers

Providing of information: on tourist attractions in the vicinity as well as on personal safety precautions.

Guesthouse managers work with tourists of different cultures and traditions, from all over the world and must, therefore, keep their different needs and requirements in mind.

Personal Requirements

able to work with all kinds of people
good communication skills
very versatile
knowledge of South Africa’s places of interest, geography, its unique history, politics and flora and fauna
organisational skills
interest in food and cooking
able to deal with unexpected situations

How to Enter

Schooling & School Subjects

National Senior Certificate meeting degree requirements for a degree course
National Senior Certificate meeting diploma requirements for a diploma course

Each institution has its own entry requirements.

What to Study

No specific training is required to manage a guesthouse. The courses listed below could provide suitable background:

Courses in Hospitality Management are offered at UJ, CPUT, CUT, DUT, TUT, VUT. Hospitality courses can also be followed at many TVETcolleges, eg. Northlink, Ekurhuleni West, Boland, SW Gauteng, False Bay, Tshwane South, Flavius Mareka.

Guesthouse Management.- Intec College

The Hotel Industries Training Board (HITB) provides in-service training, including the following courses:

Hotel management (3 years)
Commercial catering and restaurant management (CBMT)
Supervisory course
Facilitator’s course
Professional cookery (3 years)
On-the-job instruction course
IR course for middle management.
Several cooking schools offer appropriate training courses, taking from one to three years.

It is important to ascertain your particular areas of talent and interest. This is because some schools focus on innovative cooking skills, whereas others offer a more rounded approach to cooking, service and catering management.

Employment

game farms and lodges
guesthouses
lodges and motels
safari lodges
SA Tourism Board
self-employment, with own guesthouse

Further Information

Tourism Business Council (TBCSA)
3 Amethyst Street, Lyttleton Manor,
Corner of Lenchen Avenue,
Centurion, Pretoria
Centurion, 0046
Tel: (012) 664-0120
www.tbcsa.org.za

Getting Started