Following a battle with cancer, one of the pioneers of the modern global travel industry has passed away. Stanley Tollman, the Founder and Chairman of The Travel Corporation (TTC) was ninety-one.
Born in South Africa, Tollman spent his final days in France surrounded by his close-knit family.
A statement from TTC following his passing calls Tollman “one of the most innovative and respected privately held travel companies in the world. Admired for his visionary leadership, innovative approach to travel experience development, innate understanding of excellence in hospitality, and commitment to employee care, Tollman’s death will be felt across the over 10,000 employees working within TTC’s portfolio of 40 award-winning brands operating in 70 countries worldwide, and the travel industry at large.”
Born to very humble origins in a small fishing village, Tollman’s family moved when he was eight years old to Johannesburg, where working in his parents’ hotel provided him with a foundation in hospitality.
He married Beatrice (Bea) in 1954, “beginning an extraordinary love story, and partnership that has lasted almost 70 years. Their journey in hospitality began right away, when in 1954 they used their wedding money to purchase their first business venture, the Nugget Hotel in Johannesburg.”
That was the beginning of a partnership that evolved into a 40-brand, hotel, touring, safari, and cruise family of companies.
Although the couple became leading luxury hoteliers in South Africa, Tollman’s refusal to comply with Apartheid policies drove the family of six abroad to England and then the U.S., where The Travel Corporation and its dozens of brands continued to grow
Tollman is remembered as a “humble hotelier at heart” for whom family ties and commitment to the people and communities involved in his busines were unbreakable.
TTC’s statement says that his signature red carnation lapel pin – that became the namesake of TTC’s Red Carnation Hotels – 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.
To further that passion, Tollman set up and chaired The Travel Corporation Conservation Foundation – a not-for-profit focused on activation of community and conservation projects and partnerships - that was renamed the TreadRight Foundation in 2012. Today TreadRight supports over 55 responsible and meaningful travel projects worldwide, and champions a traveller-facing campaign (MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®) to raise the awareness and engagement of travellers in more responsible travel choices.
According to TTC, Tollman had a special connection to Canada. His first trip abroad as a young man was to visit relatives in Hamilton, ON. He recognized early on that Canadians punch above their weight in their affinity for travel, opening TTC’s first Canadian office - Trafalgar - in Toronto in 1968. Deeply invested in the Canadian market, he travelled across the country hosting travel presentations and visiting travel advisors.
Today, 53 years later, Canada is the third largest market for TTC.
Tollman is survived by his equally-well-known wife Bea, to whom he was married for 67 years. Three of the Tollman’s four children - Toni, Brett, and Vicki - are today central to TTC today, as are Gavin, the son of his late brother Arnold and Michael, a nephew. Beyond them, grandchildren are now forming part of the fourth generation of Tollmans to continue Stanley Tollman’s legacy into the future.
Tollman recounted his storied life in a 2012 autobiography “Recollections of a Lucky Man”.
