Success follows her hard work

In a harsh economic climate where many hospitality products struggle to survive, the companies under Maria du Plessis’ hands flourish, winning numerous international awards and recognitions.
Polokwane Observer spoke to Du Plessis to find out what her secret to success is.
Fusion Boutique Hotel has won World Luxury Hotel Awards five times consecutively and this year this hotel won two Continent categories; Luxury Suite Hotel and Luxury Design Hotel. Palala Boutique Game Lodge entered this competition for the first time this year and won the awards for Best Newcomer Hotel and Best Game Lodge in South Africa. On top of that the Matopie Restaurant at Palala won a Restaurant Association of South Africa (Rasa) finalist Rosetta in the Fine Dining category. Saskia Restaurant at Fusion won a winning Rosetta in the same category.
Du Plessis explains that the best way to distinguish a business from others is by offering the best customer service. “Every action we take is focussed on spoiling our guests. We appreciate that our guests have high expectations and we strive to meet and exceed those expectations. Our credo is to treat each guest like a king or queen,” she says.
“Guests are provided with exemplary personalised service and level of recognition that they have come to rely on. A unique feature of our properties is a culture of traditional formal service standards which seems to be dying in modern day hospitality. This extraordinary formal service approach is recognised by our guests and is the single biggest contributing factor that ensures that guests feel spoilt and special.”
She credits her husband Arnold, owner of the BB Group, for being a mentor and adviser who helps her achieve her goals. “Arnold is an enabler and allows all that he deals with in a business to develop and become the best that they can be. He is the most positive person that I have ever met and in his world there are no problems, only challenges and solutions.”
Du Plessis also places a lot of stock in creativity. “Creativity is crucial to the success and survival of any hospitality business. Without being unique and different we cannot set ourselves apart from our competition. All teams are encouraged to think out of the box and to come up with their own and distinctive solutions to projects and challenges,” she explains.
When asked about common mistakes that business owners and managers make, she warns against complacency. “The biggest mistake that business owners can make is to lose their passion and involvement. Even successful established businesses do not run themselves. The owner has to stay involved in every aspect on a daily basis to ensure that objectives are met and that the business moves in the right direction at the right pace. You need to keep your finger on the pulse.”
She also loves to learn from others and never allows a learning moment to slip past her. “Some of my biggest stimulations came from leaders from totally different industries. I love to compare notes with leaders from different countries, and learn about their specific problems relating to their environment and how they deal with their challenges.”
“In the end we are all part of the big global village and our vision should be much more than just our immediate city or province”

MARKI FRANKEN
>>marki.observer@gmail.com