What initially began as a dream for late founding members Susan and Steve Nel became a reality and a hospitality haven.
Alberton’s first guest lodge, Snel Guest Lodge, situated at the border of Brackenhurst and Meyersdal, is where hospitality meets happiness. The lodge recently celebrated its 25th anniversary – marking a great milestone for the comfort haven.
In 2017, they were lauded with the Best Value Top Establishment award and received a certificate of excellence in 2018.
Adri Barnes, who has run the lodge since 2007, tirelessly worked to ensure Snel Guest Lodge is on the map.
“My parents bought the place in 1997 and then my dad had the idea of starting a guest house. In March 1999, the company was first registered. We could not get finance for the guest lodge since banks didn’t recognise guest houses as having a profitable income. My dad converted this house brick by brick and systematically kept building,” she explained.
She said it was a hard time for her parents.
The name of the place originated from her parents’ initials and surname.
“My dad was in engineering and was the first to give up his job. My mom worked in law and later quit her job. When my dad gave up his profession, everyone was concerned, but he made it work. In those days, when we asked what he wanted for Father’s Day, he would say a bag of cement, and we used to joke about that,” Adri said.
“Snel Guest Lodge has a chain of clients who are like ‘furniture’, because of the lodge’s hospitality and kind service.
“We have upheld a certain signature that when you come to Snel Guest Lodge you don’t have to bring in an extra blanket or pillow because we have all that. That’s the product quality we believe in which my parents started. I just continued with the legacy,” she said.
Despite a blow in the market, especially from the pandemic, the lodge is determined to continue serving its clients and to be around for the next 25 years.
Adri said this is her parents’ legacy, not just a company, and they intend to pass it on to the next generation.
