Biz.Travel Q&A with Kim Davidson

Kim Davidson: Identified a gap in the market, and filled it with Teremok.

Biz.Travel: Your family is involved in the Barnyard Theatre. Why the move from selling tickets to selling beds?

K D: Quite simply we identified a gap in the market. When searching for upmarket accommodation in Umhlanga, where I grew up, during an event we were managing I noticed that this was a niche that was not filled. My mom was then looking to buy a property to accommodate out-of-town performers for The Barnyard and came across the beautiful house called Teremok, which we all knew was perfect for a boutique lodge.

Biz.Travel: At R2750 per room you're offering a whole lot of luxury and space that I haven't seen at similarly priced deluxe properties. How do you balance the books?

K D: It is a very fine line! Our objective has always been to never compromise the guest experience to cut costs, within reason of course. When conceptualizing the Teremok brand, we looked at what we wanted when we travelled and were not prepared to offer anything less. We have got clever over the years (especially with the recent recession) and made some changes to offer quirky alternatives that are more cost effective, but are still in keeping with the brand and not detracting from guest offerings.

We also feel strongly about keeping the property affordable to local and international travellers, and set one flat rate for an annual period. We would, however, probably make a lot more money if we weren't so intent on offering value for money along with award-winning luxury, but that's what sets us apart.

Biz.Travel: Who came up with the concept of individually decorated rooms each with a mystery guest, own soundtrack and individual scent?

K D: This was very much a collaborative process between my mom (Debbie), my sister (Tracy) and myself whose combined brainchild Teremok is. We are all quite creative and wanted to see how we could draw on all senses to bring each room to life, going as far as to introduce a mystery guest to depict who we could imagine staying there. Although quite self-indulgent, we had fun with it and I feel that it adds largely to the feel of the rooms and the charm and individuality of the property.

Biz.Travel: I find the attention to detail one of Teremok Marine's most endearing qualities. With your background in PR and your family's in the arts, where do you find your inner hotelier?

K D: I think it is our backgrounds that actually bought out the hotelier in us! Although there were challenges with not having a hospitality background, it also equipped us to approach things from a totally fresh, and in some instances unchartered point of view. We did what felt right to us and what fitted in with this brand we were creating. Kotchka Vladykin, who built Teremok, laid down a wonderful canvas for us to work on, and we developed the character of each room from there - embracing the eccentricities and quirkiness, instead of trying to hide it.

The size of the establishment allowed us to develop the individuality and pay careful attention to detail, which we'd identified as one of our key focuses ... besides, I just love a reason to shop! My background in public relations and event management could not have given me a better eye for attention to detail, as well as pre-empting and indulging guests needs. Being hands-on owners has allowed us to ensure that this is always maintained.

Biz.Travel: The inclusive breakfast selection (help yourself to homemade granola, breads and fruits and eggs, bacon etc to order) and afternoon cake is splendid. Are you considering offering lunch and dinner in the future too?

K D: One of my sister's passions is food (which she writes about) and she has developed our breakfast offerings. We decided to go back to basics, offering wholesome, homemade and freshly prepared breakfasts, instead of reinventing the wheel, and this has really set us apart. We will not offer lunches and dinners for a few reasons - we only have eight rooms and don't want to accept outside guests as Teremok translates from Russian as "little hideaway" and it wouldn't be that if we operated a restaurant. We also don't want guests to feel compelled to eat with us and there is such a wide selection of local restaurants worth experiencing and it's great to be able to support these other local businesses with whom we have a good relationship.

Operating a restaurant would be like running another business and have our hands full as we are building a beautiful boutique spa and launching a small retail line of personally selected, quirky items. We are always happy to oblige so we will order in food should guests require, otherwise we recommend, book and offer free shuttles to and from local restaurants.

Biz.Travel: As someone that had to work during my stay I liked the roomy desk, free ADSL and free-flowing coffee. Are most of your guests business or leisure travellers?

K D: It really is a complete mix - which we love, and we have hosted anyone from diamond dealers to movie stars. Umhlanga has always been known as a holiday village that remains popular with local and international leisure travellers and it has really grown into a very big business hub.

We identified the property as being well placed to suit the requirements of both business and leisure travellers, so made sure that the facilities and services we offer suits both needs. It also keeps it interesting with having the mix of guests rushing off to meetings, while others are sitting around the pool or exploring all Durban has to offer.

Biz.Travel: With a property on six levels do you have rooms that are suitable for people in wheelchairs?

K D: Unfortunately not. This is something we'd hoped to cater for when we did the original plans, but realized that it just wasn't possible. The house was built by Kotchka with the six levels and a staircase in the centre. The dining room is on the middle level, and we realized that if we tried to offer a wheelchair-friendly room, they would not be able to make use of all of our facilities - which defeated the objective.

Biz.Travel: What are your World Cup 2010 plans?

K D: Our plan is to continue to offer award-winning service and all our normal facilities and services, which showcase our amazing property, city and country while still offering value for money. Our new spa and gym facilities will be open by this time. We want to give guests the best possible stay during their time here, as well as a reason to return. Our fantastic team of staff is very excited about the World Cup - they all have official shirts which are now part of their uniform, we are going to do a fun "dictionary" of local soccer terms and colloquialisms for guests and each staff member will be getting a ticket to either the opening game in Durban or Brazil vs Portugal. A great time for team building!

Go to Teremok Marine www.teremok.co.za or call +27 (0) 31-561-5848 for more information.