Reception - Front office

My next department was reception.From Monday to Thursday i was in class, doning the theoretical part of the work, like working on my portfolio of evidence. On a Friday and weekends i worked in reception itself, behind the desk, switch board and recieving arriving guests.

A morning at reception starts with a quick meeting so everybody knows what is goning on during the weekend, like if there is a confrence or big group comming in, so all front office staff members know what to do when the arrive.

Then we prepare registration cards for the guests, so when they arrive and they give there surname , you can imediately look for it in the crocodile file, as we arranged it in alphabetical order, this speeds up the check in prosedure, and guests feel more welcome because you are ready for them.Greeting guests on their name, also creates a good image of your company.

The correct phone skills and manners are also very essensial. When awnsering the phone you have to sound proffesional, friendly, prompt and informative. You have to speak cleary and not to fast, so that the person on the other side can hear you. Because the person can't see you, you only have your voice to impress him, use t well, and always smile!!!


Check in prosedure.

Before hand, we prepare a regastration card with the guests name and chalet number, we also prepare an envelope with there key and inventory forms, as well as a intertainment programme and welcome and breakfast voucher.When the guests arrives, you give them the reg card to fill in, while you check them in on the system and see if everything is paid. Next you ask them to pay the consevation fee if needed and key breakage deposit of a R100, which you only authrize on a credit card. You stamp their conservation fee slip, so that you know it's been paid. Then you explain everything that's in the envelope and give it to them, wishing them a good stay at your establishment.

Check out prosedure

On check out it is important to take the key back from the guest, ask him if they used anything in the chalet and get the inventory slip which the cleaning ladies filled in from him, they will have marked what has been broken or used.The guest then has to pay breakages.If they didn't use anything, you can simply check them out on the system, make sure they paid conservation fee and if their slip has been stapped and send them on their way, greeting them with a smile and wishing them a safe journey!

Activities and inter department communication

The guests come to rcetion to make bookings for the activities and facilities we offer.We have a file for avery activity, where you write in the guests' name and chalet number and how many people they are, you inform him on the amount due, he pays it and you ring it up and print out a invoice, which you give to him so that he has proof of payment at the activity.After the guest leaves, you inform that certain department how many people there is for the activity and for what time!


All departments work together, and communicate via radios all the time!

In reception we have 3 till points.In the morning you get your float bag, you sign for it, and make sure that the same seal number is still on.Then count your float, make sure it's R400.During the day keep all your activity slips, credit card slips and conservation fee slips.At the end of the day, you get a cash up form, and float to safe form, first count out your float, starting with the smallest money/change you have.Then count your money and credit card slips, write it down. You then have to make copies of all your slips.When you are done get a plastic cash up bag from your manager, put your money in with the slips and seal it, put your float of R400 into your float bag and seal it with a new seal.Go and drop the money.

Ocean View Guest Lodge - Umkomaas

The past 2 weeks, i got to go to Umkomaas,(which means rivier of the whales in Zulu). We, meaning sondela, have another guest house there, and the lady who manages the place had to go on leave, so I ended up going to keep the lodge afloat.I arrived at durban airport at 08h00 in the morning, Jenny picked me up, and took me to the lodge, we first had a cup of coffee, and then it started, jenny took me through the house and explained everything, and showed me where everything is, and started to explain my duties for the next 2 weeks!

These duties included, getting up at 06:00 every morning to let the night security gaurd go and lock up behind him, then when the sun comes up, to turn off the lights and unlock the gate, then i had to set up for breakfast and make sure everything is clean and neat and ready for the guests, who usally starts having breakfast at 07:00.In the mornings customer care and service plays a big role, seeing as you entertaine your guests constantly.During the day moste guests go out, so i watered the garden and inside plants, made sure that all maintenence work is done, collect laundry and give it to Gavin, he is our laundry guy, if something is broken report it to the correct person, and get it fixed. Help and supervise the cleaning ladies. On welcoming, guests gets pancakes, coffee, tea and sherry, this all had to be set up before hand, then when guests arrive, you greet them done stairs at the car, take them through the whole house and inform them about all the procedures, after which they get their pancakes, pay their key deposit, and go to their room.

I had to make sure that the chef always knew what everyone wanted to eat, and that he is there in time to prepare the meals.Constant cleaning and up keep of the house is essencial, that was my job, to run the house, and entertaine the guests. I also did some admin work, keeping paper work, like stock sheets, cash floats and work schedules up to date, then of course answering phones, and keeping Erika back at Sondela up to date on bookings and other qauries.

Making sure that there is always enough stock and everything is in working order.For the guests who are there for lunch, it needs to be set up and ready.Some of the guests can make a request to have there meals at there room.At nights, some of the guests tend to come and sosialize on the communial veranda, then you have to entertaine them till whenever.

So, i had a few late nights and early mornings, hard work and relaxed here and there, it was a fantastic experience, and nice to see how another establishment works.

Parents day

Our first parents day of the year was a huge success.Us hotel and lodge management students baked 400 cookies and 8 bannana breads, during the week, for it to be ready on the Friday.The rest of the students and us, cleaned and organized everything at the boys house, we took down tables and chairs, table cloths and decorations, coffee station, sideplates, cutlery, you name it. Everything was set up there on the stoep of the boys house, and tables and chairs under the trees for the parents. They already started to arrive at 08h00. We welcomed them with a smile, they had coffee and relaxed under the trees, and watched a slide show of photos of us, that we put together.


Inside the class room, the brown hyiena, we set out tables with all our files. We have a Portfolio of evedence, a learner guide and a aide memoir.Each of which have a different purpose.The portfolio contains all my tasks, notes, assighnments, anything that i do or wright myself goes in there, for example:

My firts week at Sondela was a introduction week, they took us through the rops and showed us whats going on, we did a few excersizes and assighnments on communication, customer service, management and working in groups.After the introduction week, i started with my chef course....!The most important thing in a kitchen is to clean as you go!!!!!Health, safety and hygiene is very impotant in a kitchen.Thats why we where protective chefs uniform, a double breasted jacket, to protect us from heat and burns, non slippery shoes, n hat, that creates a air vent on the top of your head inside the hollow tall hat, because kitchens can get very hot.To clean as you go, is very important, it prevents cross contamination and bacteria to spread and grow, and it also ensures a neat and tidy work station, so that you have space to work, this also prevents cuts and bumps, and speeds up the work proccess.We work with diffirent colour cutting boards, green= vegetables and fruits, white=dairy, brown= cooked meats, red= raw meat, yellow= chicken, blue= fish.The reason for this is also to prevent cross contamination between the different foods.



The learner guide contains all of my study material, so we work out of it, learn and make notes of it.The aide memoir is exactly what it sounds like, its there as a aide.You can deside what you put in, everything that you feel is most important, or something you want close to you, like a recipe or french terms of different foods, so basicly all the things you want to remember and want close to you, for example: French terms, basicly all foods and supplies are french names and terms, to these terms are very important, it makes the work go faster and more sufficient, for example: Jullienne = matchstick size cut for vegetables like carrots, Brunoix = small blocks for stuff like onions, Chiffonade = thin slitthers for stuff like lettuce. There are 14 cooking methods which is used for preparing food:

Boiling
Baking
Deep fry
Shallow fry
Pot roasting
Grilling
Saute
Glazing
Braizing
Steaming
Stewing
Blanching
Poaching
Roasting

Over all the day was a success, the parents got to see what we do, and get to know the staff and persons responsible for us, a little better.And everyone enjoyed our cookies.

Working at Feathers

Every 3 mounths there is a huge function called "Bosveld vriende", here in the Bela-Bela area. So all the lodges, places and people involved in the hospitality industry are invited, and every time, someone else hosts the whole thing. This time it was Feathers Restaurant, a beautiful little place on a 23 ha plot, run by a family of 4. So i know all this because they asked for our help to come and waiter and clean up. So they sent Annamarie and myself.It was alot of fun, we welcomed the people at the door with a sherry and punch, once everybody was inside, there were a few speeches and then the entertainment for the night, was 4 girls who sang, they were also very enjoyable.So the evening progressed, the people finished eeting, and when the rush at the buffet table was over, we just cleared tables, everybody was relaxed, and just listened to the music.

We started cleaning and clearing at about 11 o'clock, and i got home at 1 o'clock. It was a fun night, very different to Sondela, but in a way the same, it was dreat to see how there kitchen works and how they do things, it was deffenitely a good experience, and i would love to do it again.

RCI weekend

This past weekend, we had one of our most important events of the year! The whole weekend was dedicated to RCI. The whole RCI staff was here, we catered for 70 people. The management staff of RCI stayed in the Country house, so i also went to work there, taking care of them, and keeping them happy. Friday night we had a dinner for them in the boma at Piccinini's, i had to take the 7 people from the Country house there, and wait on them and Mr Ian van Rensburg.It was alot of fun, we had a guy preforming, so everyone dansed and sang along. Everybody left just after 11, then we started to clean and put everything away, what a job, the thing is, the next morning we have to set up for brunch, so it has to be clean before we go home for the night, so eventually i got home at about 1 o'clock, and went straight to bed.

The next morning we had to be at the academy at 7 o'clock, to meet with Elsie(hospitality manager) and hear the plans for the day.Then when started with the setup for the brunch at 10 o'clock. It looked stunning, white table cloths with red and white check for over lays. Everybody arrived and had there brunch, i organized there activities for day, like horse rides, quad rides, game drives and paintball. then we startde gethering all the stuff we needed for the bush dinner that evening at the adventure centre, tables, braais, candles, cutlery and crocery. when everything was finaly on its way to the adventure centre i went back to the country house to check on my geusts. I spent the afternoon with them, and then took them to Piccinini's for the rugby. We then went to the adventure centre for the bush dinner, it was lovely, candles everywhere, bon fires and people eeting dancing and just having fun.It was so clod, but i didn't even relize it, because i was running around the whole time.The people left at about 11, and we again cleaned and cleared up everything.The night was a huge success and i loved every minute of it, even though i was so tired.

The bush exsperience

The wildlife centre is one of our main attractions here on Sondela, they take care of sick or wounded amnimals, feed them play and nerture them, so we visit from time to time, i meen it doesn't get any cuter than this!!!!

The amazing thing of studying here at Sondela, is being in the bushveld. Where else can you sit in a class room and see a giraffe eeting from a tree, or while going to work pass a few warthogs running and playing around. Working in this environment is truely a priveladge, so many people forget about the wonderfull and beautiful country that we are blessed with. And the best part of it all, when i'm done for the day, i can go and sit on my stoep and just enjoy the sounds and smells of nature.

Op Sondela is almal vriende, ons het dit bewys toe ons lekker saam die management span by die seuns se huis gekuier het en geeet het. Ons het gesing en gesels en om n warm vuurtjie gesit, die aand was regtig n groot sukses en baie lekker.

Someone once told me that, :"One is to less a number to achieve greatness". That is how it works here at Sondela, we learn, work and play together, everybody knows what they are responsible for and what must be done, that is how a successfull bussiness has to be run, teamwork, something i have come to learn and love here.And belive me, its not just work work work, well it is most of the time, but we make room for a little fun.......

During the holidays we have a staff caberet every Thursday night, so basicly we dress up, and give the guests something to laugh about. We do different drama pieces on stage, the boys dresses up, in skirts and do the can-can and basicly we just make fun of our selves, the guests enjoy it, but not as much as we do....

Sover het Sondela ongelooflik baie vir my gebied en beteken. Dis baie harde werk, lang ure en moeilike gaste, maar dis lekker en ek leer al die pad. Die week wat verby is, is ek terug na die kombuis om koekies te bak. Vrydag 8 Mei was ons ouerdag gewees en ons is gevra om koekies en piesang brood te maak wat saam met die koffie en tee bedien kan word. So 2 dae, 425 koekies en 8 piesang brode later het ons eers weer gerus, geglimlag en lekker geeet.

Ek het nou die Chef gedeelte van my kursus klaar gemaak, dit het baie goed gegaan met my prakties, het noggal gestress. Maar nou ja, na dit het ek weer n ruk in die kombuis gewerk en by F&B, in die restoerant en guest house en het ook begin help met wine deliveries.
Vandag het ons nou begin met n nuwe afdeling, reception! Sien noggal baie uit daarna. Dit is wat so lekker is van my kursus, ek doen elke dag iets nuuts, dis great en verseker nie vervelig nie.

Hostex and Interesting facts

One of the creations at Hostex, there were alot of different stuff, and all very tasty, even if they look a little weird.

When there is nothing to do, as the chef says, you clean, so that's what we did, cleaned out the fridge, it was cold!!!!!
Being a chef isn't just making food, you have to know where everything comes from.So the day we made butter, we milked the cow, and afterwards seperated the milk from the cream, very cool.

Ek het my eerste hostex bygewoon, was excelent gewees.Het ongelooflike sjefs en mense in die bedryf gesien besig om hulle ding te doen. Gaan verseker volgende jaar weer gaan.
Die een ding wat baie oog oplettend was, is dat elke shef wat daar was, verseker 'n passie het vir dit wat hulle doen, terwyl hulle daaroor praat, voor die stoof staan, en na die tyd proe, hulle is mal oor wat hulle doen, wat ongelooflik is, want min mense in vandag se tyd hou nog van hulle werk.