City Lodge Hotels bids a fond farewell to a true legend of the hospitality industry as Tony Balabanoff, Divisional Director: Operations, retires on 30 June 2025 after a remarkable 47-year career in the hotel industry, 39 of which have been dedicated to City Lodge Hotels.

Reflecting on his epic career, Tony says, “The journey I’ve been privileged to take with this remarkable company has been nothing short of extraordinary. From our humble beginnings with just one hotel and 35 team members, to now boasting 58 hotels, over 1300 employees, and growing from 122 rooms to 7374, what I’ve witnessed and been a part of has been something truly special.”

Tony's passion for hospitality started during his school years, when aptitude testing pointed him in the direction of the industry. “The psychometric tests proved invaluable and indicated that a career in hospitality would be what I was most suited for,” he notes. “Holiday work at the Holiday Inn in Ermelo was quite an eye opener in terms of creating guest experiences within strict rules and procedures, whether garnishing a plate, making a bed, or preparing money to be deposited for banking.”

While waiting to join the June 1978 intake at the Witwatersrand Hotel School in Smit Street, Johannesburg, he went to Israel to work on a Kibbutz for six months. Here he picked grapefruit, milked sheep, cleaned chicken runs and collected eggs. This was great fun for a 17-year-old and taught him life skills that stood him in good stead to grow and lead: be independent, responsible, and accountable for yourself and your actions.

On his return, Tony joined the Holiday Inn In-Service Training Programme and graduated in 1981 with a certificate in hotel management. In 1990, Tony was sent to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York where he completed the Advanced Management Program and his thirst for learning never stopped. “In 2010, I decided to go back to university and study further, graduating from the School of Tourism and Hospitality at the University of Johannesburg with a B-Tech Hospitality degree in 2012,” he notes.

In addition, Tony is very proud to have been awarded the status of STH Golden Circle Alumnus by the School of Tourism and Hospitality in 2013. More recently, he was presented with the South African Chefs Association President’s Award by James Khoza for “Extraordinary service to the hospitality industry”.

Tony’s operational impact on City Lodge Hotels is extensive. He has served as General Manager of three hotels, opened 16 new properties, led operations across 47 of the group’s 58 hotels and jointly developed as well as implemented the group’s food and beverage strategy to be a meaningful contributor of the group’s results, currently delivering 19% of total turnover.

“I’ve had the opportunity to contribute meaningfully to all divisions of our group, but the greatest joy and privilege of all has been working with our people,” he says. “The City Lodge Hotels family are, and always will be, our greatest asset and what I’ve loved most is the opportunity to work alongside the incredible people in this company.”

Another highlight in Tony’s illustrious career was the co-founding of the Housekeepers Association of Southern Africa (HASA) in 1993. At the time, he observed that most executive housekeepers were from Europe and identified an opportunity to promote skills transfer and transformation by developing local talent for this critical leadership role within hotels.

Tony explains, “I partnered with the late Cliff Leibbrandt and formed a powerful committee made up of some of the best and most respected executive housekeepers as well as key leadership of suppliers to our industry. HASA was born and proved to be most successful and achieved its objectives. Today’s executive housekeepers are local talent and are delivering standards that compete with the best anywhere in the world.”

Tony has had the honour of meeting many notable figures throughout his career, including many corporate chief executive officers, managing directors, presidents and sports captains. Top of mind are Nelson Mandela (humanitarian and past president of South Africa), Hans Enderle (founder, past CEO and chairman of City Lodge Hotels), Sol Kerzner (founder of Southern Sun, Sun International, and Kerzner International), Kemmons Wilson (founder of Holiday Inn), Ken Blanchard (author of “The One Minute Manager”), Michael Bublé (singer), Arne Sorenson (CEO and president of Marriott International), Robert E Rich (founder and chairman of Rich’s Products), Cyril Ramaphosa (businessman and president of South Africa), and several Springbok Rugby, Protea Cricket and Bafana Bafana Soccer captains.

“Hans Enderle was my absolute mentor and go-to person who truly inspired me, and I gleaned many pieces of wonderful advice from him,” says Tony. “One of the things that still stands out is a simple phrase: ‘Do it right first time.’ It meant plan properly, get thoroughly organised, and pick the best person for the job. This saves time, avoids having to redo work, produces great results in most cases, and creates a positive experience for everyone. The other one is: ‘Touch a piece of paper (or email) once,’ which, in a nutshell, means don’t procrastinate – just do it, and do it now.”

Born in Nairobi and raised in both Kenya and South Africa, Tony is married to Helen and they have two children and three grandchildren. His deep family values are evident in traditions like “Chicken Tuesday” dinners and holidays to Kruger National Park, the Drakensberg, or the coast. While his personal motto has always been “Work hard, play hard, in that order”, his family have always come first and been his priority.

A former runner, he now enjoys hiking, golf, and outdoor adventures and top of his bucket list is to explore the Nordic countries and take an Alaskan cruise. He has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro with his father, and intends climbing it again with his son, carrying on a father-and-son tradition.

As Tony hands over the baton, his parting message is one of heartfelt thanks and encouragement, and his signature thumbs-up: “To my friends, my colleagues, and my City Lodge Hotels family, my hope is that you continue to stay authentic, treat each other with kindness, remain dedicated in your work, and most importantly, never lose that unique spark that makes us who we are. Thank you all for the friendships, the memories, and the invaluable impact you’ve had on my career, my life, and my family. I am truly blessed.”

Andrew Widegger, CEO of City Lodge Hotels, adds: “On behalf of City Lodge Hotels, we extend our deepest appreciation to Tony for his decades of exceptional service, inspirational leadership, and unwavering dedication. Tony’s legacy is deeply woven into the fabric of our business; his influence can be seen in the culture he helped build, the standards he set, and the many lives he touched along the way. We are grateful for the immeasurable contribution he has made to the group and wish him all the very best in his well-earned retirement.”