![Discover the art of running a good hotel business](https://cdn.magzter.com/1373618752/1721908063/articles/I7iqhgCGs1722249308659/DISCOVER-THE-ART-OF-RUNNING-A-GOOD-HOTEL-BUSINESS.jpg)
A regular programme of specialinterest group events and a hearty helping of Karoo hospitality may make this iteration of a Barrydale country hotel the one that finally succeeds.
The adage that to make a small fortune in the wine industry you have to start with a big one applies equally to running a hospitality offering.
Heavy competition from providers of Airbnb-type accommodation scratches away at room-rate earnings, while the growth in self-catering options and the increase in available convenience foods erodes restaurant income.
NOT YOUR TYPICAL B&B
The solution may be what the Karoo Art Hotel in Barrydale is doing. Here, they offer competitive room rates yet deliver more than a typical B&B in terms of style and comfort. Here, too, the food offering is sufficiently affordable, tasty, and hearty in portion size to tip the balance in favour of dining out rather than in.
And they welcome the whole family including one’s pets. Olden-time spoils include the option of a morning coffee tray brought to the room as a wake-up call if you’d rather not make it yourself.
Karoo Art Hotel chef Derek Louw knows his market well and delivers handsomely. Added to which, the relatively new owners, Sue and Rick Melvill, the founders and partners behind Melvill & Moon’s high-end safari accessories, have the business and social networks, as well as the marketing skills, needed to succeed.
FROM A BYGONE ERA
A mini showroom of Melvill & Moon items available for purchase sits in the hotel’s breakfast room and coffee shop, and a number of their furniture items, such as chairs in the dining room and the Roorkhee Campaign chairs, modelled on the original used by the British army and made from timber and canvas, are on the black-and-white ceramic tiled front stoep. Look out for their safari washbasin/ice buckets and luggage racks, too.
Denne historien er fra August 02, 2024-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
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Denne historien er fra August 02, 2024-utgaven av Farmer's Weekly.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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More funding needed to flood-proof Olifants River
Western Cape Minister of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism Dr Ivan Meyer recently handed over R14,98 million to the Citrusdal Water Users’ Association.
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Zambia, Burundi agree to maximise agri potential
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Expanded market brings avocado season success
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Plan needed to enhance competitiveness of SA's deciduous fruit canning industry
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Kruger's memory lingers in his Boekenhoutfontein farmhouses
Lucille Davie visits Kedar Heritage Lodge in North West to see the farmhouses Paul Kruger owned.
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From street art to feats of engineering, Bristol has it all
Brian Berkman visits the vibrant UK port city of Bristol and says two days are not enough to explore renowned graffiti artist Banksy's hometown and pop in at all the historical taverns.
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Managing broodmares and foals profitably and safely
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Double cab's leisure features find favour
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More fungal diseases that can infect beans
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Keeping invasive insects at bay
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