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From reception desk to Guest Relations Manager: Cindy Seti’s 14-year journey at Radisson Collection Hotel Waterfront

Nolusindiso “Cindy” Seti is Guest Relations Manager at Radisson Collection Hotel Waterfront. She has grown into the person she is today, developing her management skills through different positions at Radisson, working her way up from the reception desk to Guest Relations Manager. Her path illustrates how far front-line, guest-facing experience can take you in South African hospitality.

In her current role, Seti leads the Moment Makers Team, known to many as the Guest Relations team, in delivering meaningful moments. Whether securing a restaurant reservation, arranging a rejuvenating spa treatment, discovering hidden local gems, or embarking on an unforgettable kayak adventure, no request is too big or too small. Attention to detail and passion for hospitality transform ordinary moments into lasting memories. She also coaches and mentors her team on ways to make a guest’s stay memorable through personal moments.

“To me, being a Guest Relations Manager is about creating meaningful connections and ensuring every guest feels genuinely valued. After 14 years in the hospitality industry, I have learned that luxury is about anticipating needs, building trust, and creating memorable experiences that guests will cherish long after they leave,” says Seti.

Seti’s career began in November 2011 as a Receptionist and Reservations Agent at Boardwalk Hotel and Casino, where she managed bookings, processed payments, and handled guest enquiries. In March 2018, she took her hospitality career overseas, joining the Queen Elizabeth 2 (QE2) in Dubai as a Guest Relations Officer. Aboard the historic ocean liner, she handled everything from concierge excursions to welcoming guests and front office responsibilities.

Seti adds, “Behind that desk, I learnt far more than how to operate a hotel system. I learnt how to communicate with different cultures, how to remain calm when a guest was upset, how to manage several requests at the same time, and how to pay attention to details that could completely change a guest’s experience. I value these international experiences deeply.”

Seti returned to Cape Town in November 2018 to join Radisson Blu Waterfront Hotel as a Receptionist. Over the next six years, she worked her way up through the ranks. She was promoted to Service Manager in 2020, a role she held through March 2025, managing daily hotel operations and guest recovery. She then moved into the Assistant Front Office Manager role, supervising the reception and guest service teams and supporting training and scheduling.

In October 2025, Seti was promoted to Guest Relations Manager of the Moment Makers Department, staying at the same Waterfront property as it rebranded from Radisson Blu to Radisson Collection.

Over 12 years, Seti has built her career within Cape Town’s hospitality sector, with an international stint that broadened her perspective on luxury service.

“My advice to anyone entering hospitality is to embrace every opportunity to learn. Some of the most valuable lessons come from guest interactions. Be patient with your journey, stay passionate about people, and never underestimate the impact of consistency, professionalism, and a positive attitude,” notes Seti.

Three lessons from 14 years in hospitality:

On starting: Reception taught me the foundation of hospitality. You are often the first and last person a guest interacts with, so you quickly understand how important that interaction is. I learned patience, attention to detail, communication, and how to deal with different personalities.

On working abroad: You meet guests from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds, and you quickly realise that there is no one way to deliver good service. You must listen to the guest, understand what they need, and adapt your approach. The experience also gave me confidence. It was the first time I really experienced hospitality on an international level. It pushed me outside my comfort zone and showed me that I could adapt and succeed in a completely different environment.

On leading a team: One of the most rewarding parts of my role is mentoring the women on my team. I encourage them to believe in their abilities, speak up, and take on new challenges. Hospitality offers incredible growth opportunities, and I am passionate about helping the next generation of women and men leaders find their confidence and reach their potential.

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Actually, Home Food and Travel offers a lot more than just reviews of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.  We also visit great destinations, receive advice from interior designers and stop to smell the roses and taste the coffee.

Our team of journalists are seasoned travels and love visiting the myriad of exciting places around South Africa.  Whether it is off the beaten track or in the heart of the top attractions of the country, we’ll be there,

Home Food and Travel advice on finding the right accommodation

So what is the right accommodation?  Well more often than not, it’s your travel budget that dictates the type of accommodation that you choose. 

Expensive is not always better.  Our team at Home Food and Travel will tell you that they have camped in areas with limited ablutions and had a wonderful holiday.  They have also spent a night in a five star hotel only to be disappointed because their expectations exceeded the experience.

The reason for your travels will also affect your choice.  A business trip requires different amenities to a beach holiday. 

Our articles, reviews and experiences can certainly help you make your decision.

Restaurants with a good mix of service, food and ambiance

To my mind a great restaurant offers three things – excellent service, great food and a wonderful ambiance.  Of these, service is the most important. 

No matter that the food is delicious and the setting delightful, poor service can ruin the occasion.  However, great service combined with mediocre meal and a plane jane restaurant can still be a pleasant night out.

We’ve eaten in restaurants that are really dirty but with incredible food and couldn’t help but give a rave review.  We’ve also hardly noticed what we ate because the setting was just amazing.

However, the best restaurants come with the best of service, food and ambiance.

Spas are the ultimate relaxation aid

How do you know when you have had a great spa experience?  The answer, of course, is when you doze off on the treatment table. 

Well that’s our theory anyway.  It also doesn’t take a grand location with enormous facilities for a spa to be really good

A small, personal spa that is owner run can result in the best massage you have ever experienced.  However, the grand spas in five star hotels offer unsurpassed facilities in an environment that just makes the stress in your shoulders and neck melt away before you even finish checking in.

Adventure!

You don’t have to be an adrenaline junky to enjoy an exciting experience.  In fact, what are commonly termed adventure activities usually have incredibly high safety standards and unblemished safety records.

Ziplining, bungy jumping and shark cage diving are all very safe.  It’s just that our mind tells us we are craaazzzzyyyy to be doing this.

On the road to great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities

If you’re driving, be safe and make use of all the wonderful farm stalls that populate South Africa’s open roads.

If you overhear somebody asking a lot of questions or see someone taking photos of empty bedrooms chances are it’s one of our Home Food and Travel team members.

We’re out looking or those great places of accommodation, restaurants, spas and adventure activities.

See you on the road!

 

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