His dedication, and the potential he demonstrated whilst carrying out his duties at the Riverside Hotel, allowed him the opportunity to be appointed the Restaurant Manager. In 2001 his skills were further recognized and he was appointed as the Food & Beverage Manager at Madikwe River Lodge in the North West Province. This position allowed his natural creative talent to shine, and coupled with the opportunity of working closely with the General Management, he soon proved to be a popular member of the team. It was not long before his excellence was recognized and in June 2002 he was duly appointed General Manager at Plettenberg Park, a 5-star luxury boutique hotel managed by the group. The hotel comprised of only 5 rooms, but during his tenure this was doubled to 10 rooms and during this metamorphosis Stephan was able to gain valuable hospitality and management experience. At the end of 2004 Stephan could no longer ignore the ‘call of the wild’ and he applied for the position of General Manager back at Madikwe River Lodge and was duly appointed. During his term at the lodge it grew from strength to strength. Stephan has always had a personal interest with the Food and Beverage discipline of the hotel and exercises his interest at every opportunity. Stephan’s motto is “Guests come to lodges mainly to experience the wildlife, but I believe that if I can combine that with exceptional food and beverage experiences at every opportunity, I’ll have added to the overall safari experience.” In January 2006 Stephan accepted a position outside the Group at a 5 star game lodge in the renowned Sabi Sands Reserve. This new position again allowed him to further groom his experience in top lodge management. When the position of General Manager at Shishangeni arose, Three Cities had no hesitation in offering him the position. Both parties are extremely happy he accepted. The lodge will soon bear the fruits his hard work and excellent experience have yielded. “This is an incredible challenge and I am very excited about taking the three camps to new heights.” Assisting Stephan and appointed as part of the management team at Shishangeni is Kelly Mullen, who has been involved in lodge activities since 2001. Kelly completed her studies in guiding and game lodge management and was soon involved out in the field. Besides guiding, she has been directly involved in the management of baby lions and cheetah, not to mention successfully hand rearing an abandoned one day old rhino calf through to its release at fifteen months old. As time moved on, Kelly began doing more and more Lodge management and in 2005 moved to the Sabi Sand Reserve where she was a camp manager and guide. It was here that she met Stephan and together they now form a formidable management team. “I have a great passion for wildlife, but I am also very passionate about personal hospitality and attention to detail.” Contact Details:www.threecities.co.zaThree Cities+27 (0) 31 564 8390 / 082 378 2025pr@take-note.co.zaNote to EditorsThe Three Cities Hospitality Group The Three Cities Hospitality Group was founded in 1988 in Durban with a portfolio of four of South Africa's top city hotels. The group currently manages 40 properties throughout Southern Africa, including Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia. Its core competency is the specialised marketing and management of city hotels, resorts, exceptional safari lodges, signature hotels and restaurants. Another important aspect of the group is the International Hotel School with campuses in Sandton, Cape Town, Durban and the Bush Academy in the Waterberg. Bookings can be made through the central reservations office on 0861 000333 or via e-mail on ceres@threecities.co.za.