Valor Hospitality Partners Africa has promoted Joep Schoof to the newly created position of Director of Operations for Valor Africa, effective April 1.

“Joep has been a key part of our success, and we are thrilled to promote him to this important position as we grow the business,” said Tony Romer-Lee, Managing Partner of Valor Hospitality Africa & Middle East.

Schoof joined the company as General Manager of Spier Hotel & Leisure in December 2013 and has been instrumental in its turnaround and continued strong performance, especially through the COVID-19 pandemic period.

The expansion of the Valor Hospitality portfolio in Africa, includes the recent addition of Fancourt Resort in the Garden Route and the new voco hotel. “The Bank, the first IHG voco-branded hotel in Africa, scheduled to open later this year in Rosebank, created the perfect opportunity to promote from within,’ said Romer-Lee.

Born in the Netherlands, Schoof completed his degree at the International Hotel School in Leeuwarden and then completed his management traineeship at the then Dutch-owned the Lord Charles Hotel in Somerset West.

His career in the hospitality industry has seen him specialising in restaurant projects, F&B management, hospitality real estate and hotel management. These roles were completed at a variety of companies, such as the Arabella Sheraton Westin Grand, Pam Golding Hospitality, and the Table Bay Hotel, which included pre-opening work for the Sun International group on The Maslow hotel in Johannesburg.

Curator/GM for Radisson RED

The second Radisson RED Hotel on the African continent – set to open in June in Rosebank, Johannesburg – has appointed Carly de Jong as its curator aka General Manager.

De Jong’s job will be to:

• Differentiate Radisson RED Rosebank from Radisson RED Cape Town by immersing the hotel deep into Rosebank’s art and culture scene.
• Help kick-start Johannesburg and Gauteng’s tourism scene by encouraging local travel to the region.
• Establish the Radisson RED hotel brand in Gauteng.