The Liz McGrath Collection appoints new GM’s at The Marine and The Plettenberg

Melissa Theron has returned as General Manager to The Marine Hotel in Hermanus, after two years at the reigns of sister-hotel The Plettenberg on the Garden Route, where Ainsley Williams has now taken over as General Manager.

Ainsley Williams comes with extensive experience gained over the past 27 years, including the last three years as Resident Hotel Manager of Fairlawns Boutique Hotel & Spa in Johannesburg. After completing a BSc (Hons) in Physiology, she obtained a Civil & Commercial Mediation Diploma, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her career in the hospitality industry started as Banqueting Manager at Villa Via in Cape Town, before she notched up several years of experience as Food & Beverage Manager at various 5-star properties in Cape Town, including the Cape Grace Hotel, the Table Bay Hotel and The Bay Hotel, as well as Tsogo Sun’sPalazzo Hotel in Johannesburg. During this period, she also joined The Liz McGrath Collection for the first time, working as Food & Beverage Manager at The Cellars-Hohenort for two years. Later on, her career took her to KwaZulu Natal’s Hartford House for her first position as General Manager, before her move to The Pencil Club in Umhlanga where she was in charge of Operations and New Business Enterprises.

Melissa Theron has an impressive track record that spreads over more than a decade with The Liz McGrath Collection, which she first joined in 2013 as Sales & Reservations Agent in Cape Town. Her career in luxury hospitality first started as Functions Co-ordinator at the Peninsula All-Suite Hotel before she caught the travel bug and gained 18 months of international experience, working at country clubs in Palm Beach and Chicago (USA). Upon her return to Cape Town Melissa was appointed Reservations Agent for the Red Carnation Hotel Collection, quickly working her way up to Sales & Marketing Co-ordinator, before she took the career opportunity to join The Liz McGrath Collection. Her career blossomed at The Cellars-Hohenort Hotel and during the course of 2013 she was promoted to Guest Relations Manager and later Front Office Manager. In 2017 she moved to The Marine Hotel as Assistant General Manager, followed by her successful appointment there as General Manager in 2020. Two years later she was transferred to The Plettenberg where her duties as GM included the re-launch of the hotel restaurant, Amelia’s at The Plettenberg, before her return to The Marine.

The Liz McGrath Collection is a member of Small Luxury Hotels of the World