Book-A-Guesthouse is Southern Sun's national flagship enterprise development programme that concentrates on the empowerment of women and the development of their businesses within the tourism industry in South Africa. There are presently more than sixty independently owned and operated bed & breakfast and guesthouse establishments in the programme, located in four provinces in South Africa (Gauteng, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape).

Southern Sun concentrates a significant percentage of Net Profit After Tax on Enterprise Development. As a 51% black-owned hospitality industry leader that embraces the transformation goals of the Department of Trade and Industry's Codes of Good Practice and the BBBEE Tourism Scorecard, Southern Sun is providing proactive meaningful support to emerging entrepreneurs through the Book-A-Guesthouse programme.

Humble beginnings
In 2005, Southern Sun launched a pilot enterprise development project with the aim of training and mentoring a particular group of women living in Soweto who expressed a wish to create sustainable businesses by opening their homes for accommodation to the many tourists who visited Soweto's historical sites. Initially five guesthouses were identified and received basic business and hospitality training.

Growth with purpose
Over the last six years the project has grown substantially and now proudly supports over sixty guesthouses and bed & breakfast establishments nationwide. All are owned by black South African women and men and comply with specific criteria set forth in a memorandum of agreement entered into between each guesthouse owner and the programme.

Three-year model
With the help of regional tourism agencies, new participants are identified and enrolled into the programme annually. Although all compliant participating guesthouses remain members indefinitely, initially the new participants become part of a three-year model, which provides intensive support in the first year, general support in the second year and monitored support in the third year. In this way, by the end of the third year, the guesthouses are independent, well-run and well-managed sustainable businesses. Graduates of the programme continue to receive access to sales aand marketing and further development and support opportunities.

"Southern Sun is extremely proud of the Book-A-Guesthouse programme and the growth that has been achieved over the last six years. We are very fortunate that we are able to add value through skills enhancement to others in the hospitality industry and celebrate the successes that the participants in the programme have achieved," says Graham Wood, Managing Director of Southern Sun Hotels.

"We initially embarked on the pilot project in Soweto to develop, coach and mentor accommodation establishments that we believed had the potential to grow into sustainable enterprises that would do South Africa proud. This has grown into a nationwide programme encompassing more than sixty guesthouses. As the initiative continues to grow and gain momentum, we hope to extend to incorporate 100 Guest Houses", says Dr. Bill Gallagher, Chairman of the Book-A-Guesthouse programme (2005 to 2011).

Programme partners
Through commitment from industry partners, who were invited to assist Southern Sun to deliver meaningful support to members, the programme established a community of practice to ensure that all requirements would be met. The programme's partners have been instrumental in assisting with its expansion through the provision of specific skills, training, marketing and operational support.

Further information
Strict criteria must be adhered to in order for guesthouses to qualify to participate in the Southern Sun Book-A-Guesthouse programme. For further information about eligibility and initiative guidelines, please contact Rebone Sesoko, Southern Sun Book-A-Guesthouse Project Manager.