Across West Africa, there are few Africans working in the region as hotel general managers. However, one among them stands out. In this interview, Kifalu Samson Masha, Group General Manager, Alisa Hotels Group spoke with Lucky Onoriode George, Publisher/Editor-in-Chief, African Travel Times Magazine about his experiences since he moved to Accra, Ghana. Excerpts:
Moving from Kenya to Accra in West Africa, what’s different?
Travelling to new locations, countries and meeting new people excites me. I like the West African experience, the diversity in food, culture, fashion, and traditions.
Is this your first experience outside your country?
I have also worked in Hotels and Resorts located in Tanzania, Uganda, Zanzibar, and Southern Sudan.
I have stayed at Alisa Hotel – North Ridge which was previously branded as a Swiss Spirit Hotel. Why was the decision taken to re-brand back to Alisa?
Alisa Hotels has always been owned and managed by Alisa management and directors. However, Alisa Hotel – North Ridge was franchised and branded Swiss Spirit Hotel & Suites Alisa for a period between 2015 and 2020.
Whilst franchising the Hotel came with some benefits, we realised that as our own individual collection of Hotels expands, it is the perfect opportunity to establish our own indigenous Hotel group. We will continue to use the strength gained from the experience with Swiss International to maintain and enhance the facilities in addition to the service delivery.
What can you tell me about Alisa Hotels?
The Alisa Hotel Group was established in 1999 and is currently the largest indigenous Hotel brand in Ghana. We have properties located in Labone and North Ridge – both of which are situated in Accra, Ghana. We are very excited to be adding an additional Hotel to our portfolio. Alisa Hotel, Tema is expected to open by the end of the year.
What did you think of the property when you first arrived?
When I first arrived in Accra, Ghana, and more so at Alisa Hotel, my first impression was that this was a great opportunity for me to work in a true business and city hotel establishment.
Alisa Hotel – North Ridge has 14 conference rooms and is known as the business address of Accra. Prior to working with Alisa Hotels, I had mostly been with resort beach hotels with the exception of the Hotels I worked at in Kenya that boasted of huge conference facilities.
You arrived two years before the chaotic moment; last 2020 talking of the period of COVID-19 pandemic, how are you managing?
The year 2020 was without a doubt a very difficult year for the hospitality industry and Alisa hotels was not spared. The management had to make difficult decisions to cut down on costs and the first casualties were the staff. We closed some wings for the rooms and scaled-down on other operations like bars and restaurants. We have since been steadily reopening.
How big a challenge is the pandemic situation?
The impact of the pandemic on revenues compared to 2019, we saw a drop of over 65% on total gross revenues. This meant that we obviously could not meet our financial obligations in supplier payments, refurbishment and the hotel had to renegotiate with the staff to reduce their salaries by 40%. Utility payment was also a great challenge but the Government of Ghana came up with the 50% reduction on tariff which was a great boost.
What makes this property stand out among other facilities around?
Alisa Hotels stands tall among its peers as being the only indigenous-owned hotel of this size both in rooms and conference facilities inventory. Alisa Hotels limited has 264 rooms at North Ridge and 14 rooms at Alisa Labone making a total of 278 rooms.
Alisa Hotels has won prestigious awards key among them was being voted the Best conference and banqueting Team by the Ghana Hotels Association and the Best MICE hotel by GEM awards in 2018. We have consistently been among the top-rated 5 hotels on Review Pro in Accra and Ghana in general.
How do you sustain this position?
My philosophy is based on the TQM slogan, do it right the first time always. It also means continuous improvements in all areas of the guest experience.
In today’s challenging business environment, we have to be customer-centric and seek to always train our staff to deliver the best service with a smile always.
What is the percentage of Ghanaian guests that come to your hotel?
Prior to COVID-19, the percentage of Ghanaian guests that come to the hotel was just over 35%. In 2020 this figure even went higher to over 50% due to the closure of the air travel borders.
Power supply is a major headache to hotel general managers, how much of a problem?
Power supply in Ghana is a major challenge to hotels due to the high tariffs and secondly due to inconsistency in supply. Power outages are too frequent at times, which means as a hotel, owners must invest in huge diesel power generators to ensure the comfort of their guests at all times.
At Alisa Hotel we have invested in a 1000 KVA generator and two smaller ones to ensure we are able to operate during downtimes.
As a local brand, are skilled staff any problem?
At Alisa Hotels, we recruit based on attitude, not just skill. We strongly believe that we can always teach the skills, which is why we have extensive training programs and human resource development initiatives.
With vaccine on the horizon, how hopeful are you for normalcy to return?
With most of Europe and the USA now almost getting to the required threshold on the vaccination of their populations, there is already increased demand for travel. The USA and UK are significant source markets and this gives us great hope here in Ghana with already increased travel from those countries being seen in arrivals to Ghana at Alisa Hotel.
The conference business has also registered significant improvements which is a good sign of a rebound.
What is your favourite local meal?
My favourite local meal is charcoal-grilled tilapia and Banku or at times Jollof rice.
Hotel rates are astronomically high in Ghana, what do you think is responsible?
The cost of utilities, especially electricity is very high. Labour is another factor; whereas in Kenya, hotel workers do six days in a week with one-off day, in Ghana we do 5 days and 2 off days. This is significant when you compare the number of workers one has to employ to cater for leaves, off days in ensuring there are relievers.
Finally, you have the lack of local produce readily available in the market. Most of the hotel products like meat, cheese, milk, and even toothpicks are imported and these do not come cheap.
Other factors are taxes, rates, licenses, permits, and fuel which contribute to making the cost of doing business to be very high.
Can we ever get the pricing right here?
Pricing is a factor determined by costs. When the costs are manageable, breaking even is easier and therefore, markups are lower.
What are the implications for Accra and Ghana as major conference destination?
The implications for Ghana and Accra with the high cost of hotel operations and management means that Ghana may become unattractive and not able to compete with other cheaper, cleaner, and safer destinations.
What legacy do you want to leave after your tenure here?
The legacy I envisage to leave at Alisa Hotels and Ghana, in general, is to be a role model for young hotel professionals aspiring to get to the highest office as hotel general managers, and general hotel staff in any department.
I have a bias in food and beverage operations and I intend to impart as much knowledge and input in the service and food production, create professionals who will remember my contribution for generations to come.
There is a lot of potential at Alisa Hotel – North Ridge to open takeaway and fast-food outlets and I would like to see this happen before I leave. This will play a significant role in increasing our revenues base and the bottom line.
In 2020, in the midst of the pandemic, I subscribed to the online food delivery platforms – JUMIA, GLOVO, and BOLT. This has consistently grown over the months and it is now a significant source of food & beverage revenues.