Animal magic?
Next time there is a problem with your hotel's swimming pool, think of Jessica Bodley, operations manager at Ngala private game reserve in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. Last year a young male elephant decided it would play in the private pool of the Safari Suite - Ngala's luxury suite - which sells for US$800 (£494) per person per night.
The elephant had wandered in from the nearby watering hole and decided the pool water looked inviting and the plants surrounding it appetising, so he began spraying himself with the water and munching away.
The shocked guests retreated indoors rapidly and called for Bodley and her team to rescue them. Getting a wild elephant out of a pool is hardly a run-of-the-mill task.
"It was a terrible mess - there was mud everywhere. We drained the pool completely and it took us two days to clean it up," says Bodley.
This is just one of the challenges of working at a lodge on a game reserve in the middle of the bush where the animals are free to roam.
Ngala is part of the Conservation Corporation Africa (CCA) portfolio which has 21 game reserve lodges in South Africa and throughout East Africa. The lodges are five-star and there is an attitude of "never say no to a guest request" says Bodley. This can mean setting up a romantic dinner for a surprise marriage proposal off-site in the bush, or arranging for all meals to be served within the privacy of a guest's lodge to comply with religious beliefs.
To meet these demands are Ngala's 100 staff, which Bodley and lodge manager Mike Fender jointly oversee. The high numberof staff is partly because at any one time a quarter are on leave. Employees work six weeks on, two weeks off, in order to comply with South African labour legislation. A regular working week in South Africa is five-and-a-half days, but at Ngala staff work seven days a week and do not get public holidays off, hence the extended leave.
The high staff to guest ratio is also because in the middle of the bush manpower is essential. "The quick fix is not an option here - you can't pick up the phone and ask for a plumber. It's a three hour drive to the nearest town [Nelspruit], but we are a five-star hotel and you must produce the goods," says Bodley.
Additionally there are safety aspects to consider. In the evening all guests are escorted back to their lodges by guards as a security measure. The guards stay on patrol all night.
Of the 100 employees, 71 are from the local Shangaan population. These are the core of the staff, as the remainder are white South Africans who stay on average two years.
There is an employee union to which about half the staff belong. A Shangaan employee working as a gardener or kitchen porter would receive R1,200 (£120) per month, while a head chef would receive R3,000 (£300), but all employees have the same substantial benefits. Housing, three meals a day, uniforms, staff transport and petrol are all provided. Laundry is done for the staff, and pre-school is provided for their children. Cold drinks and toiletries are really the only personal expenses.
Part of the core philosophy at the CCA is to work with the local community. In addition to employing them, the CCA runs the Rural Investment Fund Programme which funds ongoing projects such as conservation lessons for students, provision of pre-school and education on environmental awareness.
The CCA has a policy of internal promotion where possible, and each member of staff has a personal development plan. This means a gardener who has aspirations to be a chef is coached through the steps necessary to reach that goal. "We'd start by saying they must be able to read and write, and ensure they are willing to attend English classes if necessary," says Bodley. "Hygiene is also crucial, so after hours a gardener would come in and learn how to keep things clean. The job he is doing is more important than the new job, but there is the chance to come and learn."
When a job opening occurs the prospective internal candidate will be considered. External or internal, all candidates are hired on personality, and if necessary skills are taught, says Bodley. New recruits are usually educated to tertiary level and older than 23 - the challenges of the bush require a certain degree of maturity. Training in hospitality comes from visiting some of Johannesburg's top hotels for benchmarking purposes, and service standards are set by the CCA's group hospitality director, Yvonne Short.
"We think lodges and hotels are very different. We have had a few failures with hotel backgrounds. They have good service standards and hygiene knowledge, but they are used to structure and authority. Here it is a very hands-on approach and you need to keep an open mind - we are constantly thinking of ways to vary the experience," says Bodley.
For example, at Ngala there are two eating areas: a traditional African boma - open fire cooking with tables placed in a semi-circle - and a courtyard. Evening meals alternate between the two locations, so the guest staying for two nights will have different dining experiences. The courtyard is decorated with lanterns and candelabras and tables are set with white damask linen, crystal glasses and silver cutlery.
Training staff is done internally and one challenge for Bodley is trying to explain European traditions to local staff. "Why should they understand that we have different glasses for red wine and white wine? They just think I'm a fussy lady. So I need to explain why things are done a certain way. But once I've told them, they never make a mistake again. They take a pride in having that knowledge," she says.
In a country where race is a hypersensitive issue, Bodley says being white was not an issue, but being a woman was. "I had to show my mostly male team that I was capable of doing all the things I asked them to do." Bodley cleared plates, lugged bags and took dinner orders and showed her team she was willing to listen.
FACTS
Ngala private game reserve
Kruger National Park, South Africa
Owner: Conservation Corporation Africa
Rooms: 20 plus one Safari Suite
Rack rate: US$450 (£278); US$800 (£494) for suite
Director of operations: Jessica Bodley
Average guest stay: 2 nights
Source: Caterer & Hotelkeeper magazine, 25 November - 1 December 1999.
