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Babo Hadebe, Product Owner
 


Olwandle Guest House

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The Hadebes of Glenashley have a situation that almost all guesthouse or B&B owners dream of: their occupancy rates are running at over 100%.

Babo and Siza Hadebe are the owners of Olwandle Guesthouse just north of Durban. It’s an upmarket guesthouse in an upmarket area, close to the city but far enough removed from the centre to give visitors a real sense of tranquil suburbia.

Set on the rise of a hill, Olwandle is isiZulu for “by the sea” and the guesthouse is just that; only 1km from the Indian Ocean. A deck at the top of the house is perfect for sundowners with its 180 degree ocean views. Upmarket Umhlanga Rocks is 5km away and close by are acres of South Africa’s best shopping and restaurants. Within a 6km radius of Olwandle, says Babo, there are no fewer than four top-notch golf courses. Down the road from Glenhashley, Durban’s imposing 2010 football stadium is being completed.

The majority of Olwandle’s guests – some 80% - are locals, the balance being drawn mainly from Switzerland and Germany, and some from Britain and the United States.
It’s the fact that a majority of guests are local that explains Olwandle’s phenomenal occupancy rate. On any given day, says Babo, between 18 and 20 train drivers are accommodated. They arrive at all hours, having driven mostly from Ladysmith on the busy Gauteng to Durban routes. Their employer, Transnet, places a premium on safety and so it insists on its drivers being well rested; eight hours’ of good, undisturbed sleep is mandatory to ensure that the drivers are 100% up to the job when they report for duty the next day.

Opened in 2000, Olwandle Guesthouse has nine bedrooms, all en-suite, all with their own airconditioning and television sets. By housing its all-important train drivers there, Transnet is assured that they are getting a good night’s sleep, plus the bit of pampering they deserve, away from the distractions of downtown.

Because the drivers come and go at odd hours, Olwandle keeps a staff complement of up to 15. They are on hand 24 hours a day to change linen and make up rooms, prepare meals and pack meals for those leaving at ungodly hours. Foreign and local guests, however, almost never notice the comings and goings, such is the hands-on, understated approach of Siza, Babo and their staff.

Guests are, however, sometimes asked to please report a bit earlier for breakfast. They usually comply, even if they are usually a bit mystified when they are asked to climb into one of the guesthouse’s luxury vehicles and driven to an unspecified destination. The mystery destination turns out to be the nearby beach where guesthouse staff have been up before dawn, laying out and preparing a full breakfast, ready to be eaten, on the sand. It’s Olwandle’s secret ritual but one, which Babo says “always delights the guests”.

The staff at Olwandle, says Babo, have learnt a great deal about delighting guests from TEP-organised training courses. As the guesthouse expanded from six to nine rooms TEP were invaluable allies in growing the business but without sacrificing quality.

The partnership, though, was especially important when Babo and Siza decided to follow their big dream: opening a 45-room all-suite hotel in central Durban, a stone’s throw from the International Convention Centre. Opened in 2007, the Olwandle Suite Hotel and Conferences has realised their dream and, according to Babo, the two entrepreneurs are continuing to invest heavily in the project. “TEP have been instrumental in taking us to this level. They’ve stood beside us, helping us with training and marketing our products. They’ve used our facilities, and referred customers when they want to stay close to the ICC and the beach. “

“I believe that the cluster is going to elevate us as a group of tourism businesses. Sure, it’s our responsibility to make our businesses strong but, I believe, TEP is going to help fast-track us.”
If you want to sleep like a tired long-distance train driver, make a booking at Olwandle Guesthouse in Glenashley, Durban.
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