The Quiet Craft Behind Clifftop’s Remarkable Guest Experience

Have you ever gone to a restaurant or hotel and been treated so well that the experience stays with you long after you’ve left? You might assume it was simply kindness, good manners or luck. And while genuine warmth always plays a role, the truth is that some establishments operate with an almost obsessive commitment to quality control. Not just in the food or the setting, but in every interaction, every gesture, every moment of care.

Clifftop Exclusive Safari Hideaway is one of those places.

At Clifftop, the most impressive moments are rarely the ones that make it onto Instagram. They show up quietly. Someone remembers how you take your coffee. Your name is spoken before you introduce yourself. A small issue is resolved before it has the chance to become one. The experience feels effortless, but it isn’t accidental.

Recently, Clifftop’s butlers and duty managers completed specialised training with the SABA International Butler Academy, one of the world’s leading institutions for professional butler development. The programme was designed to strengthen the invisible skills behind the seamless guest experience the lodge has become known for.

“The tone was set from the moment the trainers arrived,” says Sarika Ramjee, Assistant Operations Manager at The Extraordinary Group. “It didn’t feel like a course. It felt like being invited into a completely different way of thinking about service.”

Rather than focusing solely on technical hospitality skills, the training explored emotional intelligence, body language, cultural etiquette and advanced memory techniques. The goal was to help staff engage with guests more intuitively, reading the room rather than relying on checklists.

“We learned how to read micro-behaviours,” one team member explains. “The way someone enters a room, how they speak, even what they hesitate over. Those details often tell you far more than a booking form ever could.”

One of the most impactful exercises involved designing an entire guest stay from scratch. Trainees researched a guest’s nationality, interests and lifestyle, then built personalised experiences around what SABA refers to as “Golden Nuggets”, those small, thoughtful touches that make guests feel genuinely understood rather than merely accommodated.

“It’s about listening beyond the words,” another participant notes. “Not just what guests say, but what they mean. Sometimes it’s even about offering something they didn’t realise they wanted.”

The shift is already showing in guest feedback. Where reviews once focused on rooms and views, guests are now describing how the stay made them feel. Warmth. Care. Attentiveness. The difference between a beautiful escape and a memorable one.

For Clifftop, the investment was never just about refinement. It was always about people.

“When you invest in your staff, you invest in your business,” says Ramjee. “Our butlers feel more confident and valued, and we’ve seen a real drop in turnover in key positions.”

The training also reflects a broader philosophy within The Extraordinary Group, one that positions hospitality as a long-term career rather than a stopgap role.

“When people grow, everything grows,” Ramjee adds. “Confidence becomes leadership. Skills become pride. And people start to see a future in what they do.”

For many of Clifftop’s butlers, the SABA programme represents more than a certificate. It marks a moment of professional identity, a recognition that their work is a craft, a discipline and a future.