Meet Alan Lester, Principal of The International Hotel School in Cape Town

Alan Lester currently holds the title of Managing Principal of The International Hotel School’s Cape Town campus, a position that he filled in June 2011.

Alan, now 43, was born in Zimbabwe, finished school at Abbotts Cape Town, and studied education at UCT. He started his career in education at the College of Cape Town (FET), spending almost 10 years in managing the night school which offered Matric classes to 600 part-time students.

Alan then moved to Boston Language College where he was employed as Director of Studies, responsible for international marketing and the hospitality programme. After the Language College was sold, he managed Boston House College, a small private high school, catering to a diverse group of local and international students.

Passion for education

Upon leaving his teaching career at the end of 2010, he worked as a freelance trainer, assessor and moderator before joining The International Hotel School. Acting as Managing Principal, Alan is still able to fulfil his passion for education, and even though he has not formally studied hospitality, the imperative to provide excellent service and to build relationships ties in with the way he views education.

Alan’s secret to his successes so far, corresponds with hard work and treating everybody with dignity. Alan believes that if a person stops growing, they start dying, and his goal now is to make the most of the many learning opportunities presented at IHS, not only to improve himself, but to make sure that IHS students get the most from the course offerings and the opportunity to equip themselves properly for a flourishing future in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Alan makes an impressive difference in IHS by treating everybody with respect, applying excellent listening techniques, offering great managerial expertise and service with an open door policy. Alan continuously strives to empower and encourage staff and students to use their skills and strengths to better the organisation and themselves.

Keep rising to the top

In the Cape Town campus, IHS has the facilities, the staff and the passion to become the hospitality training provider of choice. Alan says:

To do this, we will continue to develop and improve our products and levels of service. Even though times are tough with ever increasing competition, there will always be space for quality. IHS students are the cream in the industry that will without doubt keep rising to the top.”

Alan compares the tourism industry with the Great Wall of China, saying that only when one walks on it do you realise the scale of it, and there is so much more to explore and uncover with South Africa being a huge draw card of the industry due to the many conservation areas and sunny weather.

Alan is married with one son, Ray, now four years old, and juggling time between his family and passion is a constant challenge. He passes most of his leisure time with family activities, play with his son, eating pizza and enjoying time out with his spouse. Whenever he finds time, Alan likes restoring furniture and making something from nothing.

Alan is a true asset to IHS, staying true to himself and not afraid of hard work. His goals and dreams for the future is to see The International Hotel School in Cape Town double in size – a feat not impossible with this manager who has the heart of a champion, and a spirit of adventure reflected in his everyday life, managing the faculty with a burst of enthusiasm and love of life.