Stanley Tollman

Founder of The Travel Corporation (TTC), Stanley Tollman is considered to be a leading pioneer of global travel and tourism. From his humble beginnings in the industry in the 1950s to today, Stanley Tollman has built a global travel empire managed by four generations of the Tollman family.

 

Beginnings

 

Stanley Tollman was born in South Africa in 1930. His parents owned and managed a small restaurant and hotel in Johannesburg called “The Palace Hotel”. Upon completing high school, Tollman registered at a local university, but just a year later at the age of 19 he decided to leave his studies to help his parents manage their family business. During this time of professional growth, Stanley Tollman also married Beatrice Tollman. They first met at the “Oyster Box Hotel” and later bought it, remodeled it and transformed it into a successful hotel and restaurant. Together, the young and aspiring couple worked together to expand the family business within the hotel and restaurant industry. One of the first accomplishments was the “The Colony Restaurant”, which enjoyed critical acclaim for its food. The restaurant also became a well-known hot spot for many of South Africa’s leading movie stars. In just a few years time, Stanley Tollman built a major hotel and restaurant retail chain called “SA Empire”. One hotel within the chain was called “Tollman Towers Hotel” which was not only located in the tallest building in Africa at the time, but was also credited with being the first hotel in Africa to be named one of the best hotels in the world.

 

Troubled Times, Misfortune and Eventual Success

 

In 1973, Stanley Tollman invested a considerable amount of the family fortune in a hotel and real estate company, “Court Hotels”. Shortly thereafter, interest rates jumped from 6% to 20% and the investment soured. After such a strong blow to the family’s finances, Stanley Tollman moved to the UK with his wife and children to leverage what little was left of the family’s assets: a hotel and a share of a travel company. At the age of 43, Stanley Tollman was charged with reinventing the family’s business and transforming various investments into profitable sources of income. With successful investments in both the United States and Australia, the family’s fortune was slowly restored over a ten-year time span. Also, the modest travel company of which Tollman was part-owner became what is known today as The Travel Corporation.

 

Growth in the 90s; The Travel Corporation

 

During the ‘90s, Stanley Tollman focused his business efforts on expanding The Travel Corporation. Today, The Travel Corporation is an international travel group that owns and manages over 25 individual travel companies including: Trafalgar Tours; Lion World Tours, The Red Carnation boutique hotel chain; Contiki Tours; and AAT Kings, to name a few. TTC’s brands operate across the globe in locations such as the United States, Canada, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and South America. With more than 4000 employees, the company manages over 35 offices and operates in over 60 countries. The day-to-day management of The Travel Corporation is handled by Stanley Tollman’s son and two nephews, while Stanley Tollman holds the post of Chairman.

In his current position as Chairman of the group, Stanley Tollman recently commented on the growth of the Asian travel market, and the Chinese market in particular. Tollman reiterated TTC’s commitment to “global growth through travel and tourism”. TTC is well positioned to benefit from this growth in the Asian market as it has made a determined effort to understand this market’s changing needs. With its award winning cruise offerings from Uniworld and its Red Carnation chain of luxury boutique hotels, TTC certainly has what to offer the discerning traveller.

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