City Lodge Hotels backs small businesses

This milestone reflects not just the continuation of a programme, but a celebration of its intentional impact on lives, businesses, and communities. To date, the programme has supported 47 tourism-focused SMMEs across South Africa, providing them with hands-on, tailored business development support and facilitating meaningful access to the hospitality sector’s procurement value chain.

“As we reflect on this journey, we are not merely ticking compliance boxes – we are acknowledging the journey of transformation. Our commitment to inclusive growth is rooted in action, outcomes, and the belief that entrepreneurship is the heartbeat of a sustainable economy. Being intentional about our commitment has reinforced our success and the positive milestones we have seen our ESD partners achieve,” says Lindiwe Sangweni-Siddo, chief operating officer of City Lodge Hotels.

At the heart of the programme’s success lies a blended incubator approach, combining business development support with operational enablement based on the unique needs of each SMME. Delivered through Sigma International’s 17 professional staff and a network of over 30 partners (nationally and globally), this support ecosystem has proven to be a winning formula.

The programme is ISO 9001:2015 quality-assured, integrating both human-centred and AI-driven tools to help entrepreneurs build resilient, future-ready businesses. From training webinars and management accounts to branding, equipment grants, marketing development, business linkages and digital transformation support, the intervention is as practical as it is powerful.

What makes the CLH approach truly distinctive is its integration with hotel operations. General managers from the group’s 55 hotels located in South Africa (it also has one property each in Windhoek, Namibia; Gaborone, Botswana; and Maputo Mozambique) nominate beneficiaries and play an active role in mentorship and development, creating a business support experience that is both embedded and empowering.

“We're championing a new kind of supplier development, one that is deeply integrated, practical, and geared towards long-term sustainability. Watching our suppliers grow and diversify is deeply rewarding. It’s not just about today’s contracts, but about helping build tomorrow’s resilient and sustainable businesses. We also want to see the SMMEs that we partner with scaling up and growing into companies that have a national footprint, and are hopefully global entities one day,” adds Sangweni-Siddo. As a B-BBEE Level 1 contributor, City Lodge Hotels management places a lot of importance on the growth of the ESD businesses they work with, as this is included in revenue and employment.

The programme continues to encourage digitalisation, the use of AI, diversification, and self-empowerment, preparing entrepreneurs for a future economy. As procurement value continues to grow, CLH and its partners celebrate the economic returns and the human stories and community impact that come from building sustainable businesses that pay it forward in an intentional manner.

This fourth year represents more than continuation – it is a reflection point and a call to action for others in the sector. By 'journaling the journey', CLH invites the broader industry and ecosystem stakeholders to walk alongside in creating an inclusive, empowered tourism economy, one entrepreneur at a time.