Genuine leadership in luxury hospitality has no relation with job titles. It is tested on barren deserts, honed in five-star suites, and validated in the silent, peaceful moments when a guest feels not only the comfort of home away from home – but even better. Because only then has luxury been achieved. Few embody it more authentically than Werner du Preez, a General Manager whose own path is as much about creating new worlds as human growth.
A Passion Ignited: Finding Purpose Rather Than Predictability
Werner’s journey to becoming a pioneering luxury and environmentally aware hotelier never began in a marble lobby but much otherwise. As was the case with so many before him, he was first steered by the conventional signs of success—medicine, law, finance, and engineering were career paths that held out security and status. He chose to become an auditor, thinking that financial success would be his ticket to success. But after four years of a nine-to-five job in the accountant’s office, Werner realized that he was destined for more.
It was not an epiphanic moment but a nagging childhood whisper: summer vacations spent in awe-inspiring resorts, with flawless service and boundless warmth burning an unforgettable memory into his impressionable mind. Sol Kerzner-owned hotels were schools and playgrounds combined. “It was Kerzner’s vision of progressive, genuine hospitality that attracted me,” reminisces Werner. “I knew I wanted to run properties where people create memories, not just bottom lines.”
The First Few Chapters: From Front Office to Global Management
Stealing what most would have considered to be foolhardy, Werner departed from auditing and entered the hospitality business—incrementally at the front desk. It was here in these formative years that his entrepreneurial acumen, paired with his deep-seated belief in the potential of authentic, in-the-trenches leadership, truly began to develop. From bustling lobbies to backcountry wilderness nature lodges, Werner’s formula has been one and the same: roll up, be yourself, and lead by example.
The years that followed were marked by having him work on different continents and cultures. Working in distant locations with international teams gave him a forever increased appreciation for flexibility and empathy. “Empathy can never be absent,” he promises. “Distant places taught me leadership isn’t just power—power of mind and emotion tempered. It’s relating, not commanding.”
Leading by Presence: The Impact of Visible Leadership
Werner’s leadership philosophy relies on a pretty simple but mighty concept: presence. Repeatedly, he has observed the strength of seen leadership—so much more than measures of performance, but also teamwork and fidelity. In spaces where guest loyalty wars are fought and service options exist in spades, Werner insists on first standards and discipline. “Get the standards right, and the fun will follow,” he says. Authenticity, he believes, can never be bought or sold.
His employees, by nation and culture, are a testament to his dedication. Werner has a corporate culture where staff aren’t just told, but taught, by example. “Your presence is the greatest tool,” he continues. “People pay attention to what you do more than they do to what you say.”
A Global Perspective: Lessons from Cultures and Companies
One of Werner’s overall philosophies for leadership is his vast experience with numerous organizational cultures and brand ideologies. “From iconic luxury resorts to innovative eco-lodges, every experience has been a building block for his tool kit.” “The people’s side is phenomenal,” says Werner. “A property can be stunning, but without its people—its soul—there’s just a building.”
Werner has applied his business savvy over the years in a bid to achieve tangible outcomes. At Saudi Arabian property HABITAS Alula, where he was General Manager, Resort and Caravans cluster, his efforts are already yielding positive returns. His capacity for combining macro-think with actionable detail is what makes him a distinctive value as a hospitality leader.
Resilience and Reinvention: Change as the New Norm
If there is one word to sum up Werner’s philosophy of leadership, it is resilience. “Change is inevitable—make change your friend,” he prefers to quote. It has been his mantra in turbulent markets, turbulent guest expectations, and the unpredictabilities of business at far-away locations where flexibility is a norm, not an option.
Werner believes it is important enough to make it possible to move the team forward but not become disconnected with change that distinguishes a true leader from one who just has the title. “Experience builds resilience. When the mountain seems too high, you must continue. It’s what is on the other side that makes it worthwhile.”
This philosophy has guided him in steering through the complexities of pre-opening project of Saudi Arabia’s first luxury eco-lodge, ENVI Al Nakheel Lodge—a journey where imagination and determination were tested. Each step of his life has brought him to this one, ready to take on the next, more daunting one.
The Human Touch in a Digital World: Personalization at Scale
While the hospitality industry pours money into digitalization, Werner is of the belief that human touch cannot be dispensed with. Werner’s argument is that guest selection and information should be used to build individualized experiences even where human-to-human touch does not exist. He assures it is “about moving your cheese.” Werner is referring to the legendary business parable, “Innovation and creativity must make every guest feel special even when the touch isn’t human-to-human.”
A Life Well Lived: Hospitality as a Way of Living
Perhaps the most surprising aspect of Werner is the way that he balances life and work. It’s not an 8-to-5 work—it’s a calling that he makes each day, in each interaction, in each place that he goes. “Your career becomes part of who you are.”. It’s not so much looking at the loveliness of this business in life,” he says. This total immersion sets him afire with passion and motivates his teams not to regard hospitality as an occupation, but a trade and a privilege.
Mentors at Work: Lessons from Industry Icons
Werner credits most of his development to learning from very well-known industry leaders: Shaun Wheeler, the late Patsy Esposito, Sebastian Berinato, John De Canha, Herman Brits, Kathy Mason, Jason King, and most recently Irfan Khokhar. In general, he learned—sometimes what to do, sometimes what not to do. “We all make mistakes,” he says. “But the thing is to keep the good and not do the bad again. Most often, it is the things you don’t want to do again that define you the most,” he adds.
Working currently with Irfan Khokhar and Sultan Mahmood at Muheel Facilities Management—hospitality is increasingly a focus area there—Werner is delighted to be with an organization in transition under visionary leadership. He shares, “Irfan is a change maker and trendsetter. Being part of this growth phase, especially in Saudi Arabia where the hospitality sector is transforming so profoundly, is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
Education, Expertise, and Continuing Drive
Werner’s qualifications prove that he is committed to mastering his career. Werner studied for a three-year Diploma in Hospitality and Hotel Management at the International Hotel School as well as a Management qualification at the Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS). Gathering with his vast 20 years of international experience in all categories—luxury hotels, resorts, lodges, and eco-lodges—his academic background has provided him with a sense of confidence to read between lines of the industry.
Colleagues and business partners attest to Werner as a perfectionist: meticulous yet strategic, demanding yet empathetic, and never shy about rolling up his sleeves and getting down to business with his people. A master at building cultures of equality, confidence, and partnership—a vision reflected by loyalty throughout his career.
Shaping the Future of Saudi Hospitality
The future is exciting for this veteran executive of the hospitality industry. Saudi Arabia has the potential to be one of the most interesting hospitality destinations in the world, fueled by megaprojects and green tourism efforts to make the top of the world’s headlines. Werner proceeds confidently, blending regional authenticity with international standards. He hopes that in the future he will be able to look back and say that he was somehow part of contributing to the push that created this new level of enthusiasm.
A Heritage of Generous Hospitality
With Werner constantly breaking borders, his life is a testament to what is accomplished when passion is in control. In an economic world where everything is driven by numbers and not emotions, Werner reminds us that hospitality does indeed begin and end with the humans—with the sparkle in the eye of a guest as he’s made to feel welcome, and with the content in the heart of a member as he knows he’s made his mark.
In each of the desert camps, resort lobbies, and outback ecologies he has visited, Werner’s presence is felt—not as a general manager, but as the guardian of the abiding ethic that hospitality is not a job. It’s a way of life lived to its fullest.
Read Also: Sherif Hosny: Redefining Guest Experience through Empathy and Innovation
