Employer Description
This Luxury Lodge is in the Western Sector of the Sabi Sands and has three small lodges (4-6 rooms each) within 10 minutes of each other. They pride themselves on an interpretative wildlife experience with authentic personal engagement. It is critically important to them that their guests get to know the person behind the smile. For this reason, and open and engaging personality is vital in all thier guest facing staff.
Job Description
The lodge cellars have been carefully chosen to express the uniqueness found in South African wines. Their exceptional range of wines is sourced from boutique wineries and offers a distinctive wine experience aimed at enhancing their guests’ stay. We are looking for a Wine Steward to share their wine knowledge and passion and to connect our guests with the stories behind each bottle in our cellar.
KEY OUTPUTS
- Engage with each set of guests to gauge their interest in wine
- Tailor the guest experience to suit their wine interest and preferences
- As appropriate, encourage guests to diversify their preferences and explore the more unique wines in our cellars
- Connect guests to the stories behind the wines in our cellars
- Explain the exclusivity of allotment wines and exclusive wines and encourage guests to sample them
- Guide guests in making a wine selection to enhance their enjoyment and their meal
- On a daily basis, suggest wine pairings based on the meals for the day
- Rotate between all lodges to be present at meals
- Invest into the butler and host teams by building wine knowledge and developing their confidence in offering and serving wine
PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS
- Well-developed interest in and knowledge of wine
- An outgoing, friendly personality, displaying warm and sincere guest interaction
- An ability to read guests and adapt accordingly
- Confident and comfortable in a diverse, multi-cultural environment
- Good conversational command of the English language
- Well presented
- Passionate about creating memorable experiences for individuals
- Good interpersonal skills and able to work as part of a team
- Willingness and ability to share information, teach and inspire others
The salary range is wide because we are willing to consider different levels of qualification:
Lower level: A passion for wine. Story-telling ability. Intuitively knows how to balance guest interest with making sales. Previous experience in wine tasting room or safari lodge hosting. Willingness to study to develop knowledge and qualifications. WSET Level 2 would be advantageous. R9000 basic per month
Higher level: The above, plus: Experienced sommelier. Safari lodge experience definitely an advantage. SASA Level 2 minimum. R18000 basic per month
Qualifications
A good working knowledge of wines. WSET preferable. The successful candidate must have an excellent ability to engage authentically with guests and connect them to their ellars, while maintaining a complete focus on their hospitality needs.
Skills
Must have 2-5 Years experience in a similar role. An important attribute is the ability to hold an intelligent conversation with a broad awareness of cultural differences and current affairs. Further attributes are the run-of-the-mill attention to detail, teamwork, etc. You will be able to see the style and standard of the lodges on our website. Valid Driver''s License Essential.
Benefits
Benefits are 7.5% provident fund, 50% medical aid, board and lodging (Accommodation). This is not a commission-based position. A driver’s license is essential.
