New appointments follow portfolio growth at Newmark Hotels & Reserves

Following a surge of growth in its portfolio of upmarket accommodation establishments, Newmark Hotels & Reserves announces the appointment of several key new positions at the hospitality management company’s head office in Cape Town.

• Kim Gunnell has been appointed as MICE Sales Manager of Newmark Hotels & Reserves, bringing 8 years of global hospitality brand sales experience to the role.

Her appointment follows the onboarding of several new properties, well suited to MICE business, to the Newmark Hotels & Reserves portfolio. Kim’s particular focus will be on developing this market segment for the following properties:

• The new QWABI Private Game Reserve, one of the largest game reserves in South Africa’s malaria-free Waterberg region, is easily accessible for MICE groups looking for a bush retreat close to Johannesburg. Groups can be split between the 58-room LETAMO Lodge and the 25-room BABOHI Lodge. A third lodge, within the reserve, will be launched before the end of the year.
  • Stellenbosch-based Hazendal Wine Estate joined the Newmark portfolio earlier this year. This expansive wine and golf estate can accommodate up to 200 guests in a variety of event venues across the estate. Newmark Hotels & Reserves is currently gearing up to launch a brand new 34-key hotel on the estate in October this year.
  • The 206-key Catalyst Hotel, located in the heart of Sandton can accommodate groups and conferences of up to 100 people.
  • The newest addition to the Newmark Hotels & Reserves portfolio, Lakowe Lakes Estate, is located within 308-hectares of pristine land outside of Lagos in Nigeria. This property is perfectly positioned to accommodate upscale North African MICE groups.

• Sarah Robertson joins Newmark Hotels & Reserves as Group PR Manager. Sarah brings the context of 20 years of industry experience in senior management roles and extensive experience as a travel journalist to this new position. She has a BCom in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Travel and Tourism. Sarah has been tasked with raising the profile of the Newmark Group and growing brand awareness of the 21 individual hotels and reserves within the portfolio.

• Appointed in another newly created position is Group Talent Specialist, Grant Solomon. Grant has a BTech in HR Development, a Diploma in HR Management and brings 10 years of HR experience to the role. Grant has taken over the responsibility of recruitment at Newmark Hotels & Reserves. He will also play an integral role in recruitment and development of talent at hotel level.

• Tevin Herold joins Newmark Hotels & Reserves as Reservationist in Newmark’s Central Reservations Office. An all-rounder, Kevin has worked in various roles in the hospitality industry for the past 10 years spanning from front desk to trainee chef to reservationist.

• Sharne Lewis joins Newmark Hotels & Reserves as Reservations Coordinator. Sharne studied hospitality management and has worked in a variety of roles within the industry for the past 12 years.  

“It is extremely exciting to see that, in line with the growth of our portfolio of hotels and reserves, our staff numbers have seen similar exponential growth. Within the last 6 months our head office team has grown by 27% and we look forward to welcoming even more hospitality professionals onboard as our recruitment drive continues. We have several vacancies to fill at our head office and are also recruiting throughout Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands for many of the hotels that we manage,” said CEO of Newmark Hotels & Reserves, Neil Markovitz.