Celebrated as one of the architects of the global tourism industry and a devoted philanthropist, South African born Stanley Tollman has died at the age of ninety-one following a battle with cancer. The patriarch closed the final days of his life in France surrounded by four generations of family.
Tollman was Chairman of The Travel Corporation (TTC), his family owned and lead business which celebrated its centenary in 2020. Admired for his visionary leadership, innovative approach to travel experience development, innate understanding of excellence in hospitality, and commitment to employee care, Tollman’s death will be felt across not only the over 10,000 employees working within TTC’s portfolio of 40 award-winning brands operating in 70 countries worldwide, but the industry at large.
With a portfolio of award-winning brands such as Trafalgar, Contiki, Uniworld, Red Carnation and others, Tollman’s travel businesses pre-pandemic carried over 2 million travellers. Yet despite the exceptional growth of TTC, throughout his life Tollman remained a humble hotelier and proud son of Africa at heart. His signature red carnation lapel pin – the symbol of his international boutique collection of luxury properties – remained until his final days his cachet.
Tollman was a larger-than-life character with a dedication to his family and business that is deemed exemplary by his peers in the industry. To understand Tollman’s scope and scale of dedication to the global travel industry, and his homeland of South Africa, one needs to go back to the beginning and understand his relentless pursuit of perfection in creating pleasure for others.
Humble beginnings
A man from very humble origins, Tollman was born in the small fishing village of Paternoster in the Western Cape in 1930. As a young man, Tollman was driven by his hunger to succeed and have an impact in South Africa and, if possible, the world. His pioneering spirit and love for hospitality were rooted in his first home – the family’s modest hotel in Paternoster.
Fast forward a few decades, Tollman and his wife, Beatrice (universally known as Bea), who he married in 1954, began their life of hospitality together when they used their wedding money to purchase the Nugget Hotel in Johannesburg. Tollman took on the role of managing the front of house of the hotel, taking care of guests, the bar and restaurant and financial operations, while Beatrice managed the back of house, which included decoration, housekeeping, purchasing, and all the cooking for the restaurants and functions.
After transforming the Nugget Hotel, they went on to buy the Hyde Park Hotel, with the renowned Colony super club, the first to bring world famous artists to South Africa in the mid 1950s. Live entertainment at the hotel night club, The Colony, brought top-flight entertainers to Africa for the first time, including Petula Clark and the French singer and actor, Jean Sablon.
From these early days, Tollman provided South Africa with its first five-star hotels, thereby bringing the South African tourist industry to a then still unknown high level of guest experience.
His many initial achievements in the hotel industry culminated in their first grand hotel, the Tollman Towers, a landmark of Johannesburg’s social life and the first five-star and all-suite hotel in South Africa.
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