Durbanite receives coveted international business award

Freddy Pather, the head concierge at the Protea Hotel Edward with 50-plus years in the hospitality industry, is now being recognised by Marriott International. He is the first-ever South Africa-based employee of the hotel group to receive the coveted J Willard Marriott Award of Excellence, the premier award available to associates within the Marriott group.

The award recognises a lifetime of dedication to the Protea Hotels group, in particular to Durban's Protea Hotel Edward, and is a fitting tribute to a man who has given so much to the thousands of clients he has dealt with over the years. Freddy, a Durbanite through and through, joined the Edward Hotel in 1961 in a junior position when he was just 16 years old.