Fancourt’s hotel general manager, Kerrin Titmas (pictured here), has been appointed ceo, effective April 1. Titmas will take over from Fancourt’s current ceo, Niall O’Hagan, the company’s former financial director who fulfilled the role of ceo in a temporary capacity ahead of his retirement at the end of March. Titmas will be heading up some 500 permanent staff members and 250 casuals in a diverse range of responsibilities that include hotel, golf, real estate, corporate governance, corporate social responsibility, and environmental considerations. Since her appointment as Fancourt’s hotel gm in February 2009, Titmas has taken on and overseen the successful completion of various company initiatives, including the refurbishment of a number of hotel rooms and facilities as well as spearheading a renewed focus on service levels and standards.
Orient-Express has announced the appointment of Sandro Fabris as regional managing director, Africa. Fabris’s responsibilities will include overseeing the activities of the company’s two hotels in South Africa – The Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town and The Westcliff in Johannesburg as well as its three safari camps in Botswana – Khwai River Lodge, Savute Elephant Camp and Eagle Island Camp. Fabris has been with Orient-Express for over 18 years in various managerial positions throughout Europe. Before moving to Cape Town, he was based in Madeira, where he was general manager of Reid’s Palace for two years. Prior to this, he had been general manager of both the Lapa Palace in Lisbon and Hotel Quinta do Lago on Portugal’s Algarve coast.
Ricardo Roux has been appointed chef sommelier at Zachary’s at Pezula Resort Hotel and Spa. Roux brings with him a wealth of experience as a sommelier and restaurant manager, including three months with Gordon Ramsay’s maze restaurant at the One&Only Hotel at the V&A Waterfront, Cape Town. Before that he spent a year at the Plettenberg Hotel and two years at Singita as sommelier. He also held positions as restaurant manager at various lodges and has worked at Bosman’s Restaurant at the Grande Roche Hotel in Paarl, the Aubergine Restaurant in Cape Town and as store manager at the Cigar Emporium in Cape Town. Roux, who was born and educated in Paarl, is responsible for looking after the Resort’s wine stock, supervising day to day operations in the restaurant and cellar, and works with wine director Werner Wentzel to constantly update the Resort’s extensive award-winning wine list.
Tintswalo at Waterfall has welcomed Edward Woudberg as general manager. Woudberg has been with the team for three years and prior to joining Tintswalo he managed restaurants in the Elangeni and Southern Sun North Beach hotels on Durban’s beach front for several years. Wayne Suttie has also been reappointed as general manager of sales and marketing for the Tintswalo Group. He has worked in the travel and tourism industry since 1995 and with the Tintswalo Collection since 2005. Suttie focuses on Tintswalo’s inbound travel division.