HANS Enderle, founder
and past chairperson
of the City Lodge
Group, died on November 9
at the age of 77, as a
result of complications after
surgery.
Swiss-born Hans’s career
in hotels started at age 15
with his training to be a
chef, but he soon turned to
hotel management at the
Hotel School in Lausanne,
Switzerland. He took up
the post of receptionist
at the Langham Hotel in
Johannesburg in 1959,
earning a princely R100 per
month.
Hans returned to SA in
1970 for the launch of the
Holiday Inn chain, rising
to chairman of the group
in 1983. In 1985, when
Rennies sold Holiday Inn to
Southern Sun, Hans bought
a property with the Mines
Pension Fund and launched
the City Lodge Hotel Group
in 1985, introducing the
concept of select services
hotels to South Africa. With
the opening of City Lodge
Randburg, guests instantly
took to the concept of
a hotel that lived by the
principle of TLC (tip top,
loving, clean), and the
brand, which has become a
household name in SA, was
launched.
The Town Lodge and
Road Lodge brands were
next, and a listing on
the Johannesburg Stock
Exchange was followed by
the acquisition of the fourstar Courtyard Hotels.
Hans retired as ceo of
the Group in 1994 and
relocated to Somerset West.
City Lodge Hotel Group
ceo, Andrew Widegger,
says Hans’s passion for
the hospitality industry and
his ability to revolutionise
it with new accommodation
concepts in an everchanging marketplace was
extraordinary.
Clifford Ross, former ceo
of the Group, says Hans was
a humble man who touched
the lives of many. “Hans
was a pioneer who disrupted
and shaped the industry in
South Africa. He employed
me in 1987 and was my
mentor. He led with humility,
kindness, passion and great
entrepreneurial spirit. We
walked a long road together.
He inspired a certain culture
in City Lodge Group, led by
family values and it lives on
to this day.”
Hans is survived by his
wife Barbara, his children
Stephen and Julie and three
grandchildren.
A memorial service will
take place on November 22
in Somerset West. For more
information, contact Kathy
Orchard at korchard@clhg.
com.
