AFRICAN Sun has undergone a restructuring of senior team management at The Grace Hotel in Rosebank.

In late 2009 the hotel group re-evaluated its operating model in an effort to reduce costs and improve the guest experience.

Part of this strategy was the restructuring of management positions at The Grace by appointing departmental heads, including an executive housekeeper, restaurant manager and 54 Bath Avenue manager. The general manager of the hotel is responsible for overseeing all heads of department.

“The reason for restructuring the team was to open communication lines between all members of the team, from those at lower level to the more senior team members,” says md of African Sun, Ewan Cameron. “This in turn would help improve guest satisfaction.”

As a result of the restructuring process at The Grace, several positions were made redundant and some staff members chose to leave the team during the period of transition. “It has been a gruelling process but The Grace Hotel team has dug deep and shown great strength, integrity, determination and care for each other. We’re very pleased that the changes in structure afforded us the opportunity to promote people internally and bring new people into the team.”
  The process, which has taken around four months to implement, has seen The Grace exceed its target to reduce cost of sale by 15%. “Most importantly, we have seen a marked improvement in customer satisfaction as customers now appreciate the benefits of the change,” notes Cameron.

  The African Sun group aims to grow brands across Africa with an 8 500 room target. These include the Holiday Inn, Amber and Mulberry brands.

Properties currently under construction are the Holiday Inn Gaborone, featuring 152 rooms, to open before the festive season; two new hotels in Lagos to open in the next three months; a hotel in northern Nigeria offering over 110 rooms; and a further 160-room property in West Africa.