Global tourism visionary, entrepreneur and philanthropist Stanley S. Tollman, founder and chairman of family-owned The Travel Corporation (TTC), which encompasses more than 40 award-winning brands has died in the South of France following a battle with cancer. He was 91.
Celebrated as an architect of the modern travel industry, inducted into The British Travel and Hospitality Hall of Fame, and the recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Travel Weekly Globes in the UK, Tollman was admired for his visionary leadership, innovative approach to travel experience development and innate understanding of excellence in hospitality.
A man from very humble origins, Stanley Tollman, was born in the small fishing village of Paternoster in the Western Cape in 1930.
His pioneering spirit and love for hospitality were rooted in his first home – the family’s modest hotel in Paternoster, where the lavatories were outdoors and a young Tollman roamed barefoot.
In the nine remarkable decades that followed, Tollman made it possible for tens of millions of consumers at every stage of life to discover the world through his portfolio of brands and businesses.
He may best be remembered globally by family, colleagues and peers as the beloved patriarch and visionary steward of the century-old, family-owned and run the business he nurtured.
Unwavering in his commitment to ensuring his efforts were a basis for opportunity creation for others, today TTC has more than 10,000 employees across 40 brands, delivering hospitality to guests across 70 countries worldwide.
Tollman was also a champion for sustainable tourism long before ‘sustainability became a global, industry-wide call to action.
Tollman’s not-for-profit TreadRight Foundation, now in its 13th year of international project activation and traveller inspiration to give back, reduce carbon footprints and ‘make travel matter’.
Throughout his life, Tollman remained a humble hotelier at heart.
His signature red carnation lapel pin – the symbol of his international boutique collection of luxury properties – remained until his final days. As did his love of animals, sharing his passion for wildlife, nature and beautifully curated experiences with his many friends and family. He is renowned for his generosity, sense of humour and master of the one-liner.
In 1954, Tollman married Beatrice Lurie, beginning an extraordinary love story and partnership that has lasted almost 70 years.
A larger-than-life bon vivant character, Tollman, was a true statesman with a dedication to his family and business that is deemed exemplary by his peers in the industry.
Though never one to court the spotlight, he counted global figures, such as politicians, movie stars and prominent business leaders as some of his closest friends.
Over the years, his brands garnered numerous awards from prestigious publications such as Travel and Leisure and Conde Nast Traveller. In 2013, he was awarded a lifetime achievement award by Travel Weekly in the UK.
Hearing of the loss of an industry legend, Sir Geoffrey Kent, Founder, Co-Chairman and CEO of luxury travel company Abercrombie & Kent, had the following to say about Tollman:
“One of the most amazing figures in travel and tourism has left us. His name is Stanley Tollman. I have known him and his lovely wife Bea since I met them for the first time in 1972 in the Tollman Towers, a brand-new hotel they had just built in Johannesburg in 1970. Our travel paths have been closely linked over the years. Stan and his lovely family were always on the cutting edge in the travel industry and continually creating new products run with consummate style. They made so many people so very happy.”
As a son of Africa, Tollman was always drawn back to its wisdom. An old African proverb says that when an old man dies, a library closes.
For some people, that may be true, but Tollman readily shared with everyone he met and to whom he spoke a seemingly inexhaustible supply of anecdotes, wisdom and comment from a long life well-lived.
As the world suffers the loss of an iconic leader, while the library may be gone, one can only presume Tollman’s books are all out on loan.
Tollman is survived by his wife, Beatrice. In addition, three of Tollman’s four children, Brett, Toni and Vicki, are leaders of today’s Travel Corporation operations, as are his nephews Michael and Gavin Tollman.
All of us at Karryon send our sincere condolences to the Tollman family and everyone at The Travel Corporation worldwide.