Women ‘dignitising’ hospitality, one day at a time

We have heard about ‘digitising’ businesses. But Ecomotel on a mission to ‘dignitise’ the hospitality industry. What is meant by this? Our director, Joss Du Trevou has written an article on the role women play in the industry.

At Ecomotel, we want all of our guests to feel like they are being treated with dignity and respect every time they stay with us, regardless of the price they pay. We firmly believe great hospitality is not just reserved for five-star hotels. All guests deserve to experience hospitality – and South African women are best suited to provide this.

I recently attended a talk by Rob Flemming, founder of Incrementum, who suggests hospitality is different to service in a number of ways, but mostly because hospitality is about how we make our guests feel. At Ecomotel we have found that our warm and welcoming South African culture coupled with the inherent caring nature of women is the perfect recipe for providing a culture of real hospitality at our hotels. 

85% of our staff complement are woman, and all 5 of our hotels are managed by women. 

A recent report from StatsSa revealed that women accounted for 43,4% of total employment. Of those in managerial positions, 66,9% were men compared to 33,1% of women. At Ecomotel, we have flipped this statistic around. 

Over the past 10 years our women employees in particular have really stood out and embraced one of our core values – “You’re always welcome”.  We believe we are all human and need somewhere to belong – whether it’s for a few hours or few weeks, guests can walk in and feel the warmth. We’re a second family to our team and many of our loyal guests. As a result, we have seen housekeepers being promoted to receptionists, and receptionists being promoted to managers on the back of living out this value each day.

Women thrive in the hospitality industry

Our matriarchal society, coupled with the inherent nature of women who are often born and bred to take a primary role in caring for their families contribute to women taking to hospitality so easily. Customer service can be learnt, hospitality can’t. Its either in your blood, or its not. 

Learning from women managers

The biggest lesson I have learnt from our women staff is resilience. Many of the women in our team are wives, moms, and some even grannies. They are often the breadwinner in the family. In addition, hospitality requires long hours and early starting times. They travel long distances to get to and from work. And yet each day they show up and shine. It’s truly humbling.  

Creating a working environment where everyone (both men and women) can thrive

At Ecomotel we try hard to create a team environment underpinned by family values. Being part of the Ecomotel family means many things but mostly it means we respect each other regardless of colour or gender. We encourage diversity, and dismiss intolerance. We take our responsibility of building a legacy of empowerment, progression, transformation and dignity, not just for our staff, not only for our guests, but for all South Africans