Divine Matey, the general manger of Accra City Hotel is one of the few black Gm’s in the hospitality industry in a major hotel in Ghana. In this interview with Lucky Onoriode George, Publisher, African Travel Times, he bares his mind on his journey that brought him to the top. Excerpts:
May we meet you?
My name is Divine, the general manager of Accra City Hotel and I must add, one of the old ladies of the hospitality industry in Ghana; as well as among the few that has been running consistently.
By my nature, I am a calm person, and I cannot be pushed around because I know what I want, and I seek it. Besides, I believe everything is in stages and that growth is in stages just as I tell my colleagues all the time. Again, I am not also one of those people that teaches subordinates half of what they ought to learn, I teach everything because the people I am teaching do not have same work experience that I have gathered over the years.
Once I teach you all that you should know, I do not have to micro-manage you anymore because not teaching all that you should know at the time you need to know those stuffs belongs to the past. Again, I am meticulous and down to earth.
In the hospitality industry, the human resource is the best asset you can have. You may have the best property, but if your staff doesn’t have the right altitude, your guests will quietly go away. Here at Accra City, we thrive on the training we have given to our staff that they in turn translate into good customer service to all our guests.
Accra City is marking 35th anniversary, what’s the story like even though you were not here from the beginning?
This property started through shareholdings between Ghana Government through the provision of the land through one of its agencies, corporate company, Ghana Airways and Accor. However, as years went by, some interests divested.
With Accor in from the beginning means we had all the departments headed by foreigners, but with time too, the majority shareholdings being Ghanaian demanded that foreign expats be trimmed down and by 2015, Accor left and by January 2016, the owners once again brought in a foreign general manager who stayed till November of 2021, a period from which I acted as general manager till September 1st, 2022 that I was confirmed as general manager.
Before then though, I have always been the background person until recently that I am now the face of the property as general manager.
Currently, we are experimenting with a lot of innovation to give our guests some fun. We are currently trying out our small night club and attempting to move out our gym close to the poolside so that when people are exercising, they can also feel nature simultaneously.
Accra City guests range from domestic and international, how much has Ghana Tourism Authority [GTA], marketing and promotion efforts helped your hotel and that of your colleagues because I have noticed that individual properties are now going abroad in some cases to promote themselves and thereby becoming very expensive?
To be honest with you, I have not seen the new and recent promotional materials on Ghana by the Ghana Tourism Authority [GTA]. I, as a person feel, the GTA can do more by bringing all major stakeholders into the planning of their events to enable all concerned make inputs.
For instance, the various programmes that have been scheduled for December period could be possibly staggered among major hotels; giving each participating properties a specific task especially in this era of ‘Visit Ghana’, ‘Eat Ghana’, and ‘Wear Ghana Campaign’.
Going forward too, GTA should work hard to provide operators necessary enabling environment and help to secure exemption when we are importing items for use instead of pushing us to Ghana Investment Promotion Council [GIPC].
Going to Nigeria as individuals to run adverts and media campaign is expensive and not in any way sustainable.
In Nigeria, electricity is a major headache for general managers, how much of a problem here?
Ooh, here in Ghana, electricity is never an issue. I can’t even remember the last time we experienced power outage. However, we have generators and if you need diesel, you can always get it.
For us here at Accra City, we are cutting on fossil fuel and doing all we can to go greener. As you are aware, businesses are moving away now from profit to people and the planet.
Apart from the improved entertainment, expansion of the gym amongst others, what other things are you looking at?
My focus now is on four areas: the expansion of our restaurant, the kitchen, meeting rooms and the car park. As you know, the hotel is not just about the guests coming to lodge, but the other huge interests of Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions [MICE].
What advise would you give to Ghana Government to make the country more attractive to visitors and to be competitive?
We should develop the major attractions. Again, government should give us at least 20 percent concessionary rate on taxes, electricity among others that can be passed on to our guests to boost traffic and attract more visitors to Ghana because as you alluded to, our hotels and Ghana as a destination is the most expensive in West Africa and one of the highest on the continent.
How are you celebration your 35th anniversary?
Nothing huge is planned, but we would surely showcase to the public that we are 35 years.
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