Peermont scoops two major FEDHASA Hospitality Awards
On 13 April, the FEDHASA Hospitality Awards were held in Cape Town to formally recognise and celebrate the exceptional contributions of companies and individuals in South Africa’s dynamic hospitality industry. The evening highlighted the unwavering dedication, innovative thinking and commitment to excellence of hospitality professionals across a number of categories.
Peermont had two entries for the 2024 Awards, with both entities walking away with honours. Jannie Roos took the top award for Facilities Manager of the Year, while Tiaan Schultz finished runner-up in the Food and Beverage Manager of the Year category. Both were rewarded for their dedication and commitment to Emperors Palace, as well as the other resorts in the Peermont portfolio.
“We are very proud of Jannie and Tiaan,” says Peermont Hospitality executive, Dave Milne. ‘This is the perfect opportunity to showcase and celebrate the unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes to make sure our resorts are world-class.”
FEDHASA is South Africa’s trusted association for the hospitality industry, representing all segments and all establishments under one banner and with one voice. It offers expertise and guidance born from a long-standing history and established track record. Highlighting categories like Executive Housekeeper, Hospitality Technology, Culinary Excellence and Leader of the Year, the FEDHASA Hospitality Awards are also a means to help set the standard and to inspire hospitality professionals across the country.
Peermont’s Roos and Schultz have demonstrated the group’s dedication to providing all guests and visitors with relaxing stays and exciting times. “In ever-evolving industry, we pride ourselves on keep abreast of the latest trends and embracing new technologies so that we can be innovative and agile. And this is a great honour to receive this recognition,” adds Milne.
Celebrating excellence
Peermont has been an industry leader for many years, always on the pulse of change. Roos and Schultz have both been integral to recent accesses at Emperors Palace and the rest of the Peermont Group.
As the food & beverage manager, Schultz spearheaded several initiatives that have significantly contributed to the success and popularity of the Food & Beverage as well as Groups & Conventions operations across 10 resorts. His standardisation of food and beverage services resulted in cost-saving measures and created a group standard for guests across all resorts. One of the major successes was the conceptualisation and creation of Reign Restaurant. Located in the 5-star D’oreale Grande Hotel, Reign replaced Aurelia’s restaurant, ushering in a new era of contemporary dining and gastronomic innovation. Furthermore, Schultz’s involvement in the Peermont Groups & Conventions strategy has revitalised conferencing and eventing, embracing technology in the conferencing industry to provide a seamless experience for delegates.
As the maintenance manager, Roos led several initiatives that have significantly contributed to pivotal changes and improvements at Peermont, especially embracing sustainability for environmental preservation, resource conservation and long-term economic viability. Through his initiatives, Peermont’s flagship brand Emperors Palace has been at the forefront of positive green developments.
The latest project was the ambitious construction of a water reservoir on complex complete with 13 boreholes. Emperors Palace can utilise up to 800 000 litres of water a day, which is equivalent to about 5 300 bathtubs being filled up. With the implementation of the boreholes and a water reservoir, there is now a storage capacity of 2.9 million litres, which not only prioritises water conservation and management, but alleviates pressure on ailing municipal infrastructure in the Ekurhuleni area.
The ongoing development and expansion of these hospitality initiatives demonstrates Roos and Schultz’s commitment to continuous improvement and staying at the forefront of industry trends – and keeping Peermont at the pinnacle as an industry leader.