“I have the best job I could ever dream of,” says Tom Rutherford, general manager of Singita Sabi Sand, adjacent to Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Rutherford oversees two safari lodges, with 12 units in each, plus a six-room villa. He has a workforce of around 240, which is backed up by sales and marketing and procurement in Johannesburg, and emergency medical support from Africa Safety (he has a paramedic in-house).
Singita consistently wins “world best” awards for one or other of its lodges. This is a safari experience with ultimate luxury, from indoor and outdoor showers, and private plunge pools, to instant hot water, premium toiletries and, although television-free, resort-wide good free WiFi with 24/7 IT support. Guests pay handsomely but consider they get value.
“I would not work for anyone other than Luke Bailes, the visionary who heads the Singita brand,” said Rutherford with his characteristic humble smile. “But this is not a hotel initiative goaded by the goal of increasing bottom line. The lodges bring in income to support the Singita lifeblood of preserving one million acres of prime landscape.”
Singita is a conservation company, and all those who work for, and live with, the company do not need motivation. They are passionate about the cause, and the satisfaction they get from supporting the community, especially by providing pre-school facilities for local villages. Although main food supplies come twice a week in refrigerated trucks from Johannesburg, four hours’ drive away, fresh produce is bought from a community farmer and served that very day.
“Both lodges have their own kitchens and laundries,” explained Rutherford. Laundry, much needed after three-hour game drives twice a day, is complimentary at these all-inclusive resorts, where only landline telephones, spa and French Champagne are charged.
Boulders and Ebony both have outstanding wine cellars, filled with all South African wines, many specially matured for Singita, and wine-tasting dinners are a popular feature. Among the lodges’ 19 guides and trackers, who manage 19 eight-seat, open-top Land Rovers, French and Portuguese speakers can be accommodated. Fully 70% of guests, who stay an average three nights, are North American, but South America is growing fast.
“Every experience is personalized,” Rutherford added. “Guests arrive anticipating a life-changing vacation, a chance to see giraffe, leopard and lion close up.”
There are no set meal times, but typically guests have wake-up snacks before the sunrise drive, then a massive buffet brunch, and tea before the sunset drive, with full cocktail set-up along the way, and dinner on getting home. To fit in with this, Rutherford holds his morning meeting at 7.30 a.m., has an afternoon break to see his wife, who heads HR for both resorts, and two children — one born only April 13 — before joining guests for cocktails. Like all staff, he works six weeks on, seven days a week, and then has two weeks off.
“I could not do this if I did not have luxury hotel experience,” admitted Rutherford. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, he went to boarding school in Johannesburg and then, well, wandered and traveled, before deciding on hospitality. After graduating from Cape Town’s Cape Peninsula University of Technology Hotel School he joined Cape Grace in that city. In seven years he worked his way up to house manager.
Inspired by Luke Bailes’ vision he applied to join Singita, first as lodge manager, and was appointed general manager in December 2015.
What else would he like to be doing? “As I said, I already have the dream job, in the whole world,” came the quick answer.