Nicolas Froger is the General Manager of Golden Tulip Accra Hotel, one of the oldest hospitality properties in the Capital. In this interview with Lucky Onoriode George, Publisher/Editor, African Travel Times Magazine bares his mind on plans and the seemingly challenges that most hospitality outfits face. Excerpts:
Moving from Dakar in Senegal to Accra in Ghana one capital city to another in West Africa, what’s different?
Ohhhh! Not much is different I can tell you because I have been in the expatriate jobs for almost 30 years now. I have worked in the French West Indians, West Pacific for about 12 years in Tahiti, Bohaboha, later in New Caledonia in the Pacific after which I came to West Africa.
My first point of call in Africa was Senegal at a city called Saly, 80 kilometres from the capital Dakar where I managed a 260 room resort for 10 years [4-star facility] from where I moved to Abidjan in Cote de Ivoire, where I was also involved in a pre and opening of another corporate hotel before eventually moving over to Ghana.
Accra is like a big city with about 4 to 5 million inhabitants, yet it looks so much different from cities like Abidjan, Dakar and even New York because it’s a quiet city like a small town in the countryside.
This is your first experience with Golden Tulip and I guess you are familiar with challenges that also come with it, how prepared are you?
The challenge is very interesting because Golden Tulip is one of the first international brands in Accra, if not in Ghana in general. The hotel was opened in 1991 and remodelled in 1990 and has 238 rooms.
History of Golden Tulip Hotel
- 2015
Golden Tulip is owned by Jin Jiang International
- 2009
Golden Tulip is acquired by Starwood Capital Group, and a strategic alliance is signed with Louvre Hotels
- 2006
Golden Tulip introduces Royal Tulip Luxury Hotels, its 5-star brand
- 1993
Golden Tulip introduces Tulip Inn, its midscale brand
- 1975
Joint venture with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- 1962
Creation of Golden Tulip in the Netherlands
Without a doubt, the challenge will be interesting because this is a hotel with an incredible history.
My major task though is to fight for our market share on a daily basis, because the competition is becoming more intense with the arrival of Movenpick, Marriot, Kempinski, Ibis among others.
Meanwhile, years ago, Golden Tulip was virtually alone, but today, the story has changed. Though this is my first assignment with this amazing brand, but with my experience with other brands, it’s pretty easy because of the main task of a property like this, which I am used and familiar with.
The most interesting part of my journey now is the opportunity given me to manage a hotel with a big history and spirit.
Imagine you taking over a hotel where there were well over 15 former general managers that are made up of many nationalities and with guests to cutting across all continents of the world.
To sum it up, this hotel is a cosmopolitan property in a major city. I have worked in four of the five continents, and now since I have been in Africa, switching from French-speaking society to an English one is indeed an interesting one.
Within my short stay, I have discovered that Ghanaians are friendly, hospitable and smart people. As for me too, it’s a very rich experience.
The hotel is not new and managing anything old is not a joke?
You are correct! However, we are aware of the task, and we are mindful of our regular refurbishment plan in the near future. This property is a unique one because we are about the only one of its kind with a garden in the middle of the town, and we are proud of this.
In the near future too, the rooms will be given attention for the maximum benefit of our teeming guests.
Manpower or skilled workers are a major challenge in so many countries in Africa because of limited school and vocational training institutions, how are you navigating this?
Manpower or skilled personnel are usually the same everywhere. However, here in Ghana, it’s not as chronic as in some countries and again, Ghana is different because it’s a smaller country compared to Nigeria.
What would be your main focus?
My main focus will be to increase revenue and decrease operational cost. Most importantly, to also keep the spirit of this hotel and the share market.
This property has a spirit because it has staff, have been here for over 30 years or so.
What do you think is responsible for the high accommodation rate in Ghana?
Many years ago, there were not many hotels in this city, which I believed is mainly responsible for high room rate with Ghana and Accra becoming much friendlier for conferences, seminars and meetings with the forces of demand and supply pushing rates up.
Even in the face of the high room rates across the city of Accra, occupancies across major hotels remain high and stable which no doubt is good for us. However, there are so many developments in the pipeline and I ‘m sure within four years or so, rates will be dropping.
From my experience so far, Accra is the most expensive city in West Africa, perhaps we residents and visitors are paying for the political stability, tranquillity and high level of security among others.
If the above is true, it’s a price worth paying at this time.
How did the recently concluded Year of Return impact your business?
It’s huge and I can tell you not just for us, but all operators in the travel and tourism industry. As you know, the period mid-December and January every year is usually a low season for most city hotels like ours, but last year was different because of the Year of Return.
At what point would you be injecting new blood into the system?
Just like the issue of refurbishment, the issue of recruitment is crucial to this facility and I can tell you that in the next five years or so, a huge number of the staff will be going on retirement and that would be a major turning point in our history.
As you are also aware, Golden Tulip is here on a management basis on behalf of the two owners that are 40 percent Ghanaian and 60 foreign entities; therefore, it’s their responsibility to make the necessary investment at the junction to keep the standard and the legacy intact.
Without a doubt, I am sure they will be ready when we finally get to that point. If you see some of our staff, they are the first generation of people that joined from the very beginning and in the 5 to 6 years, we shall definitely enter into another face which will be generation two.
Shortly before your arrival here, Golden Tulip Accra Hotel won the 2019 African Travel Times magazine awards in the category of Best Ghanaian Dining Experience, how important is this your Sunday Brunch to the hotel?
The Sunday brunch is very important to us and to the entire Ghanaian community. My first experience was a surprise one when on one Sunday over 300 people made bookings.
With mainly Ghanaian food, music served in a typical lively setting from 11 am and sometimes to 5 pm is unique, and we will continue to innovate and improve on this for the benefits of our customers.
The brunch is one of the success stories of this iconic hotel because most middle-aged people in this city today or regular visitors to Accra know about this our famed brunch. Despite the stiff competition from some of the most modern and beautiful hotels in town, our brunch remains to us as mere copy and paste because the people trust us to do this better year in, year out.
How do you sustain this enviable position?
It’s simple, keep the same spirit and facility. Again, with refurbishment in the coming years, this hotel will even be in a better position to compete favourably and deliver world-class service to our guests and users.
Would you say Ghana is a leisure or business destination?
From our own standpoint and the business perspective, most of our guests, succinctly put, 95 percent are corporate people.
Like I said earlier, the Year of Return was a great idea by the government, and we hope and look forward to more leisure approach to tourism in Ghana.
Aside from the above, air connectivity is a major impediment to leisure activities and therefore, lack of regular low-cost chatter flights pushes up the cost of visiting Ghana.
How much of political stability and low-level insecurity do to your hotel?
I think we all take it for granted. Without mincing word, Ghana is one of the safest, if not the safest in the Economic Community of West African States [ECOWAS].
At the moment, everything seems to be going well. Despite the few skirmishes in West Africa, and though we are in an election year in Ghana, the situation is still very calm and stable.
What is the percentage of Ghanaian guests that come to Golden Tulip?
I don’t have the exact figure; I would want to say it’s about 20 percent. However, we do have a good number from other West African countries of Togo, Mali, Senegal, Burkina Faso among others.
Again, I can confidently say to you that on the general, we have 50 percent of African nationals and 50 percent for the rest of the world.
The power supply in my country is a major headache to hotel general managers, how much of a problem is power outage in Ghana?
To disappoint you, we are very lucky here and we do not have such outages here. The Electricity Company of Ghana [ECG] has been very wonderful.
In the last five months, I think we have only had three outages.
What legacy do you want to leave after your tenure here?
For me, I love Africa first and foremost because my wife is Senegalese. I love Africa, her people and I want to remain here in West Africa.
I want to tell anyone who cares to read this that such should not hesitate to come and work in Africa, come do business or retire to Africa or holiday to Africa, West Africa especially, Senegal and Ghana.
The continent is not more dangerous than Paris, New York or other parts of the world.
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