City Views received an email from Rene Oelofse, the customer service manager at a major bank who wrote to us about the doorman at The Fountains Hotel, Thys de Lange. She was so impressed with his “superior level of service, his genuine warmth and love of people” that she not only recommended him for our gratitude attitude feature – she also asked him to do a motivational talk for her frontline staff. Alma Viviers asked Thys to share some of his service tips.
Thys de Lange is a real people’s person. His bubbling energy, warm smile, easy manner and an unshakeable commitment to service have made him an asset to Cape Town’s hospitality industry for more than 24 years.
But Thys didn’t start out as a doorman. He worked his way up from being a bar hand to a scullery hand and porter. He was eventually promoted to doorman and has been manning the front door at The Fountains Hotel on the Foreshore for the past seven years.
So what does it take to be a good doorman? “You have to really like being with people. You have to be trustworthy, reliable and respectful. They must feel instantly that they can come and talk to you and ask when they need things. You have to treat them all equally.”
According to Thys, if you work in the service and hospitality industry you always have to be “switched on”. “Being ‘switched on’ means being fully prepared to give your guests your all,” he explains. “Only when you take a day off can you truly switch off.” He retains his switched-on feeling though passion for his work and spiritual reflection on his days off.
A true testament to Thys’s service philosophy is that his dark blue jacket is pinned with over 50 badges – all of which are gifts from visitors. “The badges I receive from guests are in recognition of my services and it shows that I have gone from doorman to friend. People also notice me as a result and feel like they can talk to me. The guests also love taking their picture with me, especially the Chinese visitors.”
Thys enjoys working in the Central City, especially because everything is within safe walking distance: “You have to love Cape Town with everything it has; you can’t cut something out and still love it. You have to love the wind and the weather; you have to love the mountain and the sea; you have to love the people and the place.”
Meet Thys for yourself:
The Fountains Hotel, 1 St Georges Mall
www.fountainshotel.co.za, 021 443 1100
This article was originally published in the November 2012 issue of City Views. Read it here.