Michiel Coolen

Experience

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  Sefapane Lodge & Safaris Phalaborwa

  Aug 2008 - Jan 2009

  Internship Trainee

  Tasks performed during the internship in the departments: - Marketing, Guest Relations, F&B, Front Office and Duty Management. - I performed and completed a full ‘family friendliness research’ in assignment for the company. - I was responsible for the development of a new safari concept/ product: the kids’ safari.

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  Chimps' Nest Lodge

  May 2010 - Apr 2011

  Assistant Operations Manager

  Managing and controlling the departments Front Office, F&B, Casual work, Housekeeping, Caretaking, Construction Management, Guest Relations, and financial/ administrative tasks. Furthermore on a regular basis, Acting Operational Manager in his absence.

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  Hotel Concepts

  Oct 2011 - Nov 2012

  Customer Relations Agent

  My daily tasks consisted of: - Providing customers English and Dutch support for the programs Hotel Concepts IDPMS and Brilliant PMpro. - Investigating and solving software problems on a technical level, and advising in rate structure setup. - Problem-solving with 3rd parties, for example, malfunctioning telephone systems. - Answering user questions for the delivered software.

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  Fifi's Restaurant, Skyfoods, Arusha Tanzania

  Nov 2012 - May 2014

  Restaurant Manager

  Responsible for the daily operations of the restaurant, as well as procurement, stock control, staff payroll, and supplying the Moshi branch with baked goods. Food costing, administration, menu setting, bakery and barista bar operations which were onsite were also part of my responsibilities.

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  Africa House & Kiboko Tented Camp

  Jun 2014 - Jan 2015

  Lodge Manager & Camp Manager

  My tasks and duties at Africa House: the daily operations and management of the lodge. Procurement, F&B, bar and food costing, store and stock control, front office & reservations, HR, periodic reports (such as monthly occupancy rates and occupancy forecast, monthly income & expenditures) and basic accountancy. In the tented camp, I was responsible for the daily operations, housekeeping, kitchen, safety of the guests and staff, guest relations and all outgoing game drives and walking safaris. Show less

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  Fumba Beach Lodge

  Feb 2015 - Nov 2016

  General Manager
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  Remote Safari Company & Paka Adventures

  Sept 2016 - Mar 2017

  Consultant Lodging & System Implementation

  The main task consisted of creating and implementing several systems and procedures for 3 lodges (Selous Wilderness Camp, Mikumi Wildlife Camp and The Lighthouse). Furthermore, training the staff and location managers, setting up reports, emergency action plans, financial documents and shift reports. Daily tasks included the marketing and reservations for one of the three lodges. This project was short-term with the main goal to improve the quality of the lodges on a short base.

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  Twin Peaks Hospitality

  May 2017 - Dec 2017

  Reservations Specialist

  Responsible for both individual and group reservations for 3 companies: Hotel Beaumont ****, Hotel The Dutch *** and Restaurant Harry’s (Michelin Bib Gourmand). Handling reservations from beginning to end; receiving, processing, following up, invoicing, and aftersales. Furthermore, the sales of the banquet rooms for dinners, meetings and incentives.

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  Fumba Beach Lodge

  Jan 2018 - Jan 2020

  General Manager

  Responsible for the daily operations of the lodge in all departments. The seaside lodge consists of 26 ensuite guest rooms, an infinity pool, a restaurant, 2 bars, a curio shop, a spa and Dive Center. Training of the staff, quality control, and managing and maintaining all lodge facilities were part of my duties. Furthermore, monitoring, observing and controlling to ensure that all companies' regulations, procedures and standards are being followed were my daily tasks. Besides managing all staff and supervisors, I was strongly involved in marketing and reservations (groups, individuals and excursions). During the duties and tasks performed, guest relations was a priority; especially during special events such as photo shoots and intimate weddings. Part of the job has also been consulting and assisting the sister property The Swahili House. Show less

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  DocMorris

  Mar 2020 - Mar 2021

  Logistics Specialist

  (COVID-19 temporarily career switch) In addition to actively participating in the logistics process for this semi-automated mail order pharmacy, my tasks included: training and onboarding new employees, monitoring all processes on the work floor, detecting and processing incorrectly processed orders, strong communication with different departments and keeping the technical equipment functional. I also replaced the team leader in his tasks during his absence and was partly active as a process operator. The used language in the workplace was German, English and Dutch. Show less

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  Beach & Safari Holidays

  May 2021 - now

  Group General Manager Africa Safari Camps & Lodges (North Tanzania)

  End-responsible for the management and complete operations of the 9 Africa Safari camps & lodges in north Tanzania:- Africa Safari Arusha- Africa Safari Lake Manyara- Africa Safari Lake Natron- Africa Safari Serengeti Ikoma- Africa Safari Maasai Boma (grand opening)- Africa Safari South Serengeti (pre- and grand opening)- Africa Safari Karatu (pre- and grand opening)- Africa Safari Rift Valley (pre- and grand opening)- Africa Safari Serengeti Kusini (pre- and grand opening)This includes, amongst others tasks and responsibilities:- Oversee the day-to-day operations of 9 lodges & camps with a total of more than 200 staff members. - The pre-opening and grand opening of new lodges and camps.- Set policies, standards, processes, reports, SOP and guidelines, employee training programs ab initio. - Create, implement, maintain and improve budgets, optimize the decrease of expenses and the increase of revenue. - Oversee recruitment and training of new employees, payroll, master roll, staff administration. - The realisation of a centralised store with the creation and implementation of procurement processes and systems.- Overseeing procurement, supply chain and fleet management of supply vehicles.- Ensure employees work productively and develop professionalism amongst staff members.- Evaluate and improve lodge operations and financial performance.- The implementation of health and safety regulations and standards in the lodges and for staff and guests.- Overseeing all maintenance and renovation work in the lodges.- Creating and maintaining relations with stakeholders on all levels in the northern circuit.- Implementing, maintaining and overseeing camp operations IT such as satellite internet, credit card facilities, CCTV systems and giving training of reservation systems to the staff.- Travelife certification implementation. Show less