{"id":8756,"date":"2010-05-22T10:04:13","date_gmt":"2010-05-22T08:04:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.whalecottage.com\/blog\/?p=8756"},"modified":"2010-05-23T00:32:16","modified_gmt":"2010-05-22T22:32:16","slug":"fedhasa-cape-is-still-a-farce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chrisvonulmenstein.com\/blog\/cape-town\/fedhasa-cape-is-still-a-farce\/","title":{"rendered":"FEDHASA Cape is still a farce!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>One of the first posts on this blog, in October 2008, related to the unprofessional behaviour and politicking by members of the board of FEDHASA Cape, an association representing the\u00a0interests\u00a0of hoteliers predominantly.\u00a0 At that time this writer had highlighted the political games played by Past Chairman Nils Heckscher and newly elected Chairman Phillip Couvaras, now ex-GM of the Table Bay Hotel, who had only been in the country for\u00a0four months at the time that he was elected.<\/p>\n

As quietly as Couvaras arrived on the hotel scene and was elected as\u00a0Chairman of FEDHASA Cape, as quickly did he disappear and leave Cape Town at the end of March.\u00a0 It is stated that differences of opinion between himself and his bosses at Sun International in terms of room rates to be charged, combined with a reducing value of his package in foreign currency, given personal international financial commitments, led him to accept a new position in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n

Earlier this week it was time for political games at the FEDHASA Cape AGM again, in the election of the new Board (FEDHASA Cape has the most odd system of calling for an election of each Board member every year).\u00a0 Board members are nominated in categories, even for the position of Chairman.\u00a0\u00a0 Rey Franco, the Chairman of the Restaurant category, was nominated for the same position again, as well as for the position of Chairman,\u00a0having been\u00a0Acting Chairman from the time that Couvaras left the country.\u00a0\u00a0 Pitted against him was Dirk Elzinga, the current Managing Director of the Cape Town International Convention Centre, a member in the ‘Allied’\u00a0category.\u00a0\u00a0 Elzinga is however leaving the employ of the RAI Group, the Dutch convention center management company, next month, so he will not\u00a0represent a FEDHASA Cape member company\u00a0from then onwards, it is said.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is alleged that Past Chairman Heckscher had lobbied those present in voting for Elzinga, and he was duly elected as the new Chairman, the first non-hotel Chairman ever of FEDHASA Cape!\u00a0\u00a0 When this writer stood for the same position two years ago, Couvaras was brought in, with similar lobbying by Heckscher, to prevent a Guest House owner (and female!)\u00a0from being elected in this position!\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Franco retained his position as Chairman of the Restaurant category in the election, whilst another upset saw Susanne Faussner, who had been pitted against this writer in the “Small Accommodation” category two years ago, even though she owns a hotel and a restaurant, got some of her own political medicine back when the Acting Chairman Franco had to make the casting vote in the election result in this category, and\u00a0voted for Carole Armstrong-Hooper, owner of Highlands Country House, and a\u00a0better qualified representative of the Smaller Accommodation category.\u00a0 Other Board members elected without controversy were Roy Davies from the Vineyard Hotel, heading the Hotel category, and Michele de Wit in the Allied category.\u00a0\u00a0 Those watching the politics within FEDHASA Cape will be delighted that Heckscher’s two-year term as past-Chairman on the Board is finally over.\u00a0 His\u00a0political games have been described as “poison” by some of his fellow Board members, and this can be endorsed by this writer.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What will be interesting is\u00a0what happens to Franco, who took over\u00a0Couvaras’ slot on the Board of Cape Town Routes Unlimited, given that Elzinga now has been elected as the Chairman.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From the time that MATCH launched its accommodation bookings for the World Cup four years ago, FEDHASA nationally but also the Cape branch supported and pushed contracting with MATCH as “the right thing to do”.\u00a0 Nationally FEDHASA even took on a MATCH director onto its Board!\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0Hotels had loyally signed up 80 % of their room stock with MATCH.\u00a0 Whilst a Director on the Board of FEDHASA Cape, this writer protested about the stringent legal terms and conditions, as well as the pricing directive,\u00a0that the small accommodation establishments were subjected to in the MATCH contract,\u00a0given the German experience of large-scale MATCH cancellations without refunds close to the start of the 2006 World Cup.\u00a0The other Board directors condoned the MATCH actions!\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0MATCH has become a “swearword” countrywide, and in the hospitality industry specifically.\u00a0 Heckscher was a particularly strong MATCH advocate, probably because of the\u00a0benefit it would have for the Winchester Hotel he manages.\u00a0 Ironically,\u00a0his hotel received most of its room nights back from MATCH when the FIFA accommodation and ticketing agency cancelled the majority of room nights it had originally booked!<\/p>\n

Brett Dungan, the national CEO of FEDHASA, who has been heavily criticised in this blog\u00a0for his role in pushing a private accommodation booking portal (Rooms4U)\u00a0he set up for the World Cup, is said to be leaving FEDHASA National, possibly as a result of his alleged abuse of his position at FEDHASA\u00a0to further\u00a0his personal interests. Elzinga will take over his position as CEO of FEDHASA National, but based in Cape Town, it is said\u00a0– more politics, some would say, and supported by a headline in a report by Cape Business News :<\/strong>“CTICC Managing Director Finds a new Job”!\u00a0 Being Chairman of FEDHASA is an honorary position that is not rewarded with compensation.<\/p>\n

To read the original article “FEDHASA is a farce”,<\/strong> click here.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One of the first posts on this blog, in October 2008, related to the unprofessional behaviour and politicking by members of the board of FEDHASA Cape, an association representing the\u00a0interests\u00a0of hoteliers predominantly.\u00a0 At that time this writer had highlighted the political games played by Past Chairman Nils Heckscher and newly elected Chairman Phillip Couvaras, now […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false},"categories":[7,3,124,20,22,21],"tags":[32367,4834,134,32366,256,108,4829,32378,4826,4827,320,18,4828,4839,146,27,23,4832,44,46,4838,13,1506,4831,4830,1168,45,111,173,32373,4833],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t