The Wild Dreams portfolio is growing! We now offer Consulting services and this blog explains exactly what we offer in detail.
Please note we do also have a page dedicated to this on our website, but this is an aspect of our company which is hugely beneficial to any hospitality company for minimal costs, so we want to promote this to all!
Much of what we offer is related to HR (Human resources) which has been a natural progression from the Recruitment side of the company.
This is something that we are hugely passionate about and after 20 years in the industry know that without excellent, structured HR policies in place your staffing can suffer.
Staff are vital for the success of your company especially in the Hospitality industry where your staff are dealing directly with the client who may be a guest or customer.
Before we list the details of what we offer, its important to note that we can tailor make this to your specific company so please contact us with any queries.
We are fully aware that a large 5-star lodge with 50 + staff is very different to a smaller rustic bush lodge with a team of less than 10. Having said this HR is important for all companies.
We can also supply you with just one of the below aspects that you require, or we can put together a package of numerous aspects.
Please note that prices are not listed here, due to the fact we can tailor make it to your requirements, but the costs really are minimal. This isn’t a money-making aspect to the Wild Dreams portfolio, its more about passion and assistance to this awesome industry.
We also understand during this time, you may have less staff than normal and/or be making some huge staff changes, if you need assistance with staff restructuring plans then we can provide this service based on your exact operations, short and long term.
The HR assistance we offer is as follows:
- Market related salary information – This is ready and prepared for 2020 however we have had clients in the past rather send us a list of their employees so that we can advise specifically what would be market related based on their situation/job title. The information is a small range, so from X salary to X salary but this is based on experience. The information is very detailed and for example we don’t just have the words: Field Guide X Salary, it is explained the differences in NQF 2, 4, Specialist Guide, Trails qualifications etc so very clear to read.
- Job descriptions/advert – We have ready made Job descriptions for EVERY single position within the industry. The Job descriptions are generic however, a lot of though and research has gone into each one. (They are sent in word format so that they can be edited slightly if need be) The Job description not only lists the actual description and duties but also qualifications and qualities suggested that this candidate would have. This added aspect may help when interviewing for candidates or hiring internally as its like a ready-made job advert too.
- Offer letter templates and contracts – You can download a contract template from a random website, but this will not be specific to South African labour laws as per the department of labour and will not cover everything. Offer letters are what are normally sent out as a shortened version of a contract but its still important to cover the basics here and then the contract is more extensive so we can provide both.
- Staff restructuring plans/Organogram – This has two aspects. One being if you need consulting advise on how to structure your staffing, maybe you are a new commercial property or you have promoted staff or some have left and you want to figure out the best way to structure job titles, descriptions, tasks to cover all roles. We can also provide an Organogram as per what you tell us you have staffing wise, we do recommend these are put up on a staff notice board so if you don’t have one, then send us through your info and we will create this.
- SOPs (Policies/procedures) If you need consulting advise on what policies/procedures you should have in place then we can do this, we can also create them for you with correct wording.
- Leave cycles – We can assist in creating these for you once we have your staff names/positions and basic info on your operations, if you are unsure we can also advise on leave cycles to consider as there are different options.
- HR templates – this covers a lot of different aspects that we can provide. We can provide templates for much of the typical HR paperwork. For example, uniform recording templates, Health and safety related templates, incident reports, Independent contractor agreements, temp staff paperwork, termination letters, intoxification checklists, drug test consent form, times sheets, rejection letters, leave forms, employee info templates, attendance forms, disciplinary templates, certificates of service etc. We can obviously cater this to your company’s needs.
- Confidentially agreements – We typically advise this is included into contracts, however if you are already happy with the contract you have in place and just want this as an extra document or want this to incorporate into your existing contract then this can be sent individually. Highly important to have this, not only within the hospitality industry but all companies actually
- Performance reviews – Its very important to have some sort of performance evaluation, appraisal system in place, it is also a requirement in terms of employment equity so a good thing to get in place as soon as possible. The outcome doesn’t have to be a ‘’prize’’ or a huge acknowledgement of a particular employee (s) although If you do want an employee of the month, quarter, or year we can assist with suggestion on how to go about this. We can provide a system and templates for this process. To tie in with this we can also provide employee suggestion form templates and employee certificate template.
- Pre-boarding and Onboarding for new employees – this is something that every company should have in place, its so much more than just the paperwork such as contracts, tax numbers, and photocopies of ID documents when you hire someone. Pre-boarding and Onboarding are processes that allows your new employee time to integrate into the team easily, therefore improving productivity which in turn benefits the company. Its also proven that employees who are ‘’onboarded’’ are more likely to stay within the company. Its pretty easy to decide to have this in place, all you really have to do is put yourself in the new employees ‘’shoes’’ and remember what it was like for you on your first day, week or first couple of months. This is a fun and exciting programme but with serious benefits.
- Disciplinary code of conduct/guideline – This is a must for all industries and something you probably have in place already, we however can create a brand new one or consult and add on to what you already have in place, keeping in mind labour laws and practices .
- Cv writing/interview workshops – This is not something you have probably considered incorporating in the past at your property, however this is something you could arrange for your staff’s friends and family. From past experience this is something that people really appreciated and is much needed with South Africa having such a high unemployment rate. It will only take a couple of hours and can be done on site. Due to us not charging much for this it is only available to local lodges (Timbavati and surrounds) at this stage, unless many lodges in a different area show an interest and we can quote accordingly. This may be something you can consider providing to your staff if Covid-19 has affected their situation with lay-offs or retrenchments. A virtual version of this is also available.
- Chairing disciplinary hearings – this is something we can offer on request/dependant on location. (Currently able to service – Timbavati, Balule, Klaserie and Hoedspruit areas)
- Staff wellness – we can provide a wellness newsletter monthly for your staff, this can be emailed to management and they can send on via a staff mailing list or simply put up on staff notice boards, of course I don’t need to ‘’sell’’ to you how important staff wellness is, but its important to note that as part of employment equity requirements, a wellness programme or efforts of sort is a requirement. Links to yoga & meditations are also provided. A talk on plant based eating can also be arranged.
So that is all of the HR offerings! We can also assist with General admin requirements, in brief what we can help with is listed below:
- Minute meeting writing – we are quick and efficient at this. If you would like us to attend a meeting (Timbavati, Klaserie and surrounds) to write minutes this can be arranged, if you would like to submit a recording of a meeting we can also use this to type minutes up. This will be done in a professional and timeless manner.
- PA/admin requirements – you may have heard of a ‘’Virtual PA’’ this is a similar service to what we can offer, this is dependant on exact requirement and time frames so please give details of what you would require and we can advise directly.
Then we can also assist with F&B operations, such as the following:
- Stock and ordering checklists – these can be tailored to your requirements
- Wine list creation with descriptions – Wine lists say a lot about a Hospitality company and are important for both the larger, luxury 5-star properties as well as the smaller bush camps as wine will be drank everywhere! We can give suggestions initially and once you choose; we can create your list with descriptions. If you want to include Kosher wines, Vegan wines then we can assist with all of this. If you require us to come to you with samples then this can also be arranged (we look forward to drinking wine with you!)
- Wine tasting set ups – we can create a wine tasting system specifically for your lodge, this ideally would involve staff training, but it is possible to create this without training if required. This would include a detailed list of how the tastings should be set up, what is needed, suggested areas/times to do this, the wines included with detailed descriptions including the vintage, area the wine is from, tasting notes, interesting info about the wine and standard notes. We can tailor these to both standard wine tasting, tastings with snacks and wine and food pairing for meals. This is an excellent extra to provide for your guests who are guaranteed to be impressed. Please note we can also provide a separate Vegan wine tasting set up for your Vegan guests.
- Bush experiences for guests – There is nothing better than your guests coming back from a drive or a walk and experiencing a special offering in the bush. We are able to provide a suggested list of special things that can be arranged, which will include a list of what needs to be taken out to the bush for the setup, as there is nothing worse than forgetting something when you are out in the middle of nowhere and having to travel back to the lodge! This is something that guests will remember forever and is bound to get you excellent feedback.
- Diet requirement details – Unless you have highly experienced Executive or Head Chefs you may be surprised that your more junior chefs may not know what it means if someone has Celiac disease or how series a nut allergy is. Its vital that your waiters, bar staff and hosts are all aware of what each diet requirement is, we provide a list which details each one so that there can be no confusion.
There are some additional services that we offer which don’t fall into the HR, Admin or F&B side of the industry exactly so we have created another additional section here, please note these aspects may be just as important for your company as everyone has different requirements and different aspects which may already be in place or need some expert advice.
- Mystery guest service – We offer a service where industry experts will come and stay at your property (1-2 nights) and will provide detailed feedback on their stay and experience, this is something every hospitality property should consider doing at least once as it is impossible for a manager to be everywhere and these experts know what to look for. A detailed report is given to you within 24 hours of departure.
- Vegan Hospitality Consulting – With Veganism booming it is something that is going to become a more common request. You may feel you have enough knowledge to arrange a couple of Vegan menus but you would be surprised as to how many other aspects you really should be considering which will wow your guests and guarantee you acknowledgement in this close knit community. Think soaps in rooms, animal skins, feather pillows, turn-downs, spa products, gifts for guests, curio items and menus. We can assist with it all as well as back and front of house staff training. This is going to be huge for 2021 – so get ahead of the rest! We have a page dedicated to just our vegan hospitality consulting services and are offering a free 30 minute consultation so do check out our page.
- Brand creation – Your companies branding, and image is as important as the product or service it offers. We can help you bring your companies personality alive through brand strategy, Brand Identity (Logo design – look, feel and tone) and brand communication. We can assist with this for any company/industry and not just hospitality.
- Event planning assistance – We are highly organised and experienced in event planning from movie catering to assisting with proposals, weddings and much more. Contact us with your requirements and we will be delighted to help.
- Training – We offer staff training in the following departments at this stage: Front of House, Management, All training is subject to availability so please contact us as far in advance as possible. We are also partnered with an amazing chef trainer and guide trainer so can assist with these departments through this partnership.
Now you know what we can assist with please do get in contact if you need any more information.
We have a Consulting services page on and a vegan consulting page www.wilddreams.co.za and make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram
FACEBOOK: Wild Dreams Hospitality
INSTAGRAM: @wilddreamshospitality
The email for info or booking these services is hayley@wilddreams.co.za
We looking forward to passing on our passion and expertise to help your company in this amazing, ever changing industry as well as offering support during this transition period for everyone.
Do share this blog with anyone who may benefit from any of these services.
Written by Hayley Cooper, Wild Dreams Hospitality Owner.
The Wild Dreams portfolio is growing! We now offer Consulting services and this blog explains exactly what we offer in detail.
Please note we do also have a page dedicated to this on our website, but this is an aspect of our company which is hugely beneficial to any hospitality company for minimal costs, so we want to promote this to all!
Much of what we offer is related to HR (Human resources) which has been a natural progression from the Recruitment side of the company.
This is something that we are hugely passionate about and after 20 years in the industry know that without excellent, structured HR policies in place your staffing can suffer.
Staff are vital for the success of your company especially in the Hospitality industry where your staff are dealing directly with the client who may be a guest or customer.
Before we list the details of what we offer, its important to note that we can tailor make this to your specific company so please contact us with any queries.
We are fully aware that a large 5-star lodge with 50 + staff is very different to a smaller rustic bush lodge with a team of less than 10. Having said this HR is important for all companies.
We can also supply you with just one of the below aspects that you require, or we can put together a package of numerous aspects.
Please note that prices are not listed here, due to the fact we can tailor make it to your requirements, but the costs really are minimal. This isn’t a money-making aspect to the Wild Dreams portfolio, its more about passion and assistance to this awesome industry.
We also understand during this time, you may have less staff than normal and/or be making some huge staff changes, if you need assistance with staff restructuring plans then we can provide this service based on your exact operations, short and long term.
The HR assistance we offer is as follows:
- Market related salary information – This is ready and prepared for 2020 however we have had clients in the past rather send us a list of their employees so that we can advise specifically what would be market related based on their situation/job title. The information is a small range, so from X salary to X salary but this is based on experience. The information is very detailed and for example we don’t just have the words: Field Guide X Salary, it is explained the differences in NQF 2, 4, Specialist Guide, Trails qualifications etc so very clear to read.
- Job descriptions/advert – We have ready made Job descriptions for EVERY single position within the industry. The Job descriptions are generic however, a lot of though and research has gone into each one. (They are sent in word format so that they can be edited slightly if need be) The Job description not only lists the actual description and duties but also qualifications and qualities suggested that this candidate would have. This added aspect may help when interviewing for candidates or hiring internally as its like a ready-made job advert too.
- Offer letter templates and contracts – You can download a contract template from a random website, but this will not be specific to South African labour laws as per the department of labour and will not cover everything. Offer letters are what are normally sent out as a shortened version of a contract but its still important to cover the basics here and then the contract is more extensive so we can provide both.
- Staff restructuring plans/Organogram – This has two aspects. One being if you need consulting advise on how to structure your staffing, maybe you are a new commercial property or you have promoted staff or some have left and you want to figure out the best way to structure job titles, descriptions, tasks to cover all roles. We can also provide an Organogram as per what you tell us you have staffing wise, we do recommend these are put up on a staff notice board so if you don’t have one, then send us through your info and we will create this.
- SOPs (Policies/procedures) If you need consulting advise on what policies/procedures you should have in place then we can do this, we can also create them for you with correct wording.
- Leave cycles – We can assist in creating these for you once we have your staff names/positions and basic info on your operations, if you are unsure we can also advise on leave cycles to consider as there are different options.
- HR templates – this covers a lot of different aspects that we can provide. We can provide templates for much of the typical HR paperwork. For example, uniform recording templates, Health and safety related templates, incident reports, Independent contractor agreements, temp staff paperwork, termination letters, intoxification checklists, drug test consent form, times sheets, rejection letters, leave forms, employee info templates, attendance forms, disciplinary templates, certificates of service etc. We can obviously cater this to your company’s needs.
- Confidentially agreements – We typically advise this is included into contracts, however if you are already happy with the contract you have in place and just want this as an extra document or want this to incorporate into your existing contract then this can be sent individually. Highly important to have this, not only within the hospitality industry but all companies actually
- Performance reviews – Its very important to have some sort of performance evaluation, appraisal system in place, it is also a requirement in terms of employment equity so a good thing to get in place as soon as possible. The outcome doesn’t have to be a ‘’prize’’ or a huge acknowledgement of a particular employee (s) although If you do want an employee of the month, quarter, or year we can assist with suggestion on how to go about this. We can provide a system and templates for this process. To tie in with this we can also provide employee suggestion form templates and employee certificate template.
- Pre-boarding and Onboarding for new employees – this is something that every company should have in place, its so much more than just the paperwork such as contracts, tax numbers, and photocopies of ID documents when you hire someone. Pre-boarding and Onboarding are processes that allows your new employee time to integrate into the team easily, therefore improving productivity which in turn benefits the company. Its also proven that employees who are ‘’onboarded’’ are more likely to stay within the company. Its pretty easy to decide to have this in place, all you really have to do is put yourself in the new employees ‘’shoes’’ and remember what it was like for you on your first day, week or first couple of months. This is a fun and exciting programme but with serious benefits.
- Disciplinary code of conduct/guideline – This is a must for all industries and something you probably have in place already, we however can create a brand new one or consult and add on to what you already have in place, keeping in mind labour laws and practices .
- Cv writing/interview workshops – This is not something you have probably considered incorporating in the past at your property, however this is something you could arrange for your staff’s friends and family. From past experience this is something that people really appreciated and is much needed with South Africa having such a high unemployment rate. It will only take a couple of hours and can be done on site. Due to us not charging much for this it is only available to local lodges (Timbavati and surrounds) at this stage, unless many lodges in a different area show an interest and we can quote accordingly. This may be something you can consider providing to your staff if Covid-19 has affected their situation with lay-offs or retrenchments. A virtual version of this is also available.
- Chairing disciplinary hearings – this is something we can offer on request/dependant on location. (Currently able to service – Timbavati, Balule, Klaserie and Hoedspruit areas)
- Staff wellness – we can provide a wellness newsletter monthly for your staff, this can be emailed to management and they can send on via a staff mailing list or simply put up on staff notice boards, of course I don’t need to ‘’sell’’ to you how important staff wellness is, but its important to note that as part of employment equity requirements, a wellness programme or efforts of sort is a requirement. Links to yoga & meditations are also provided. A talk on plant based eating can also be arranged.
So that is all of the HR offerings! We can also assist with General admin requirements, in brief what we can help with is listed below:
- Minute meeting writing – we are quick and efficient at this. If you would like us to attend a meeting (Timbavati, Klaserie and surrounds) to write minutes this can be arranged, if you would like to submit a recording of a meeting we can also use this to type minutes up. This will be done in a professional and timeless manner.
- PA/admin requirements – you may have heard of a ‘’Virtual PA’’ this is a similar service to what we can offer, this is dependant on exact requirement and time frames so please give details of what you would require and we can advise directly.
Then we can also assist with F&B operations, such as the following:
- Stock and ordering checklists – these can be tailored to your requirements
- Wine list creation with descriptions – Wine lists say a lot about a Hospitality company and are important for both the larger, luxury 5-star properties as well as the smaller bush camps as wine will be drank everywhere! We can give suggestions initially and once you choose; we can create your list with descriptions. If you want to include Kosher wines, Vegan wines then we can assist with all of this. If you require us to come to you with samples then this can also be arranged (we look forward to drinking wine with you!)
- Wine tasting set ups – we can create a wine tasting system specifically for your lodge, this ideally would involve staff training, but it is possible to create this without training if required. This would include a detailed list of how the tastings should be set up, what is needed, suggested areas/times to do this, the wines included with detailed descriptions including the vintage, area the wine is from, tasting notes, interesting info about the wine and standard notes. We can tailor these to both standard wine tasting, tastings with snacks and wine and food pairing for meals. This is an excellent extra to provide for your guests who are guaranteed to be impressed. Please note we can also provide a separate Vegan wine tasting set up for your Vegan guests.
- Bush experiences for guests – There is nothing better than your guests coming back from a drive or a walk and experiencing a special offering in the bush. We are able to provide a suggested list of special things that can be arranged, which will include a list of what needs to be taken out to the bush for the setup, as there is nothing worse than forgetting something when you are out in the middle of nowhere and having to travel back to the lodge! This is something that guests will remember forever and is bound to get you excellent feedback.
- Diet requirement details – Unless you have highly experienced Executive or Head Chefs you may be surprised that your more junior chefs may not know what it means if someone has Celiac disease or how series a nut allergy is. Its vital that your waiters, bar staff and hosts are all aware of what each diet requirement is, we provide a list which details each one so that there can be no confusion.
There are some additional services that we offer which don’t fall into the HR, Admin or F&B side of the industry exactly so we have created another additional section here, please note these aspects may be just as important for your company as everyone has different requirements and different aspects which may already be in place or need some expert advice.
- Mystery guest service – We offer a service where industry experts will come and stay at your property (1-2 nights) and will provide detailed feedback on their stay and experience, this is something every hospitality property should consider doing at least once as it is impossible for a manager to be everywhere and these experts know what to look for. A detailed report is given to you within 24 hours of departure.
- Vegan Hospitality Consulting – With Veganism booming it is something that is going to become a more common request. You may feel you have enough knowledge to arrange a couple of Vegan menus but you would be surprised as to how many other aspects you really should be considering which will wow your guests and guarantee you acknowledgement in this close knit community. Think soaps in rooms, animal skins, feather pillows, turn-downs, spa products, gifts for guests, curio items and menus. We can assist with it all as well as back and front of house staff training. This is going to be huge for 2021 – so get ahead of the rest! We have a page dedicated to just our vegan hospitality consulting services and are offering a free 30 minute consultation so do check out our page.
- Brand creation – Your companies branding, and image is as important as the product or service it offers. We can help you bring your companies personality alive through brand strategy, Brand Identity (Logo design – look, feel and tone) and brand communication. We can assist with this for any company/industry and not just hospitality.
- Event planning assistance – We are highly organised and experienced in event planning from movie catering to assisting with proposals, weddings and much more. Contact us with your requirements and we will be delighted to help.
- Training – We offer staff training in the following departments at this stage: Front of House, Management, All training is subject to availability so please contact us as far in advance as possible. We are also partnered with an amazing chef trainer and guide trainer so can assist with these departments through this partnership.
Now you know what we can assist with please do get in contact if you need any more information.
We have a Consulting services page on and a vegan consulting page www.wilddreams.co.za and make sure you follow us on Facebook and Instagram
FACEBOOK: Wild Dreams Hospitality
INSTAGRAM: @wilddreamshospitality
The email for info or booking these services is hayley@wilddreams.co.za
We looking forward to passing on our passion and expertise to help your company in this amazing, ever changing industry as well as offering support during this transition period for everyone.
Do share this blog with anyone who may benefit from any of these services.
Written by Hayley Cooper, Wild Dreams Hospitality Owner.