Human capital is our greatest asset’
By Ozolua Uhakheme
Three years after 22 Hospitality Limited acquired majority shares of 51 percent of Capital Hotels Plc, owners of Sheraton Hotel, Abuja, now Abuja Continental Hotel, it remains a work in progress. The management of the hotel continues to transform its facilities and human capital for better service delivery. Group Managing Director Continental Hotels, Mr Karl Hala described the ongoing transformation at Abuja Continental Hotel as a total overhaul of the entire hotel system ranging from its landscape, physical facilities and human capital, which he said, is the greatest asset of the hotel.
“Since the acquisition few years ago, you can see that we are here for the long term. We are here to better the hospitality industry and to show by example. Of course, we want to bring back the legacy of the former hotel. Abuja Continental Hotel is a landmark place, which is comparable beyond Nigeria and it is from its own power of status as the capital and the seat of government.
“It's actually a real walk in the park now. From the floral arrangements to the newly designed guest’s rooms, convention centres, lobby, pool bar and the recreation areas, it is a brilliant picture. And wherever you go the transformation doesn't stop anywhere,” he said.
Hala who spoke with tourism writers during a recent tour of the facility, assured that the hotel is strategically positioning itself to be at the top level of the MICE business. He observed that though lots are happenings in Abuja travel and tourism market, yet ‘there is a market that is sleeping.’
He said Abuja Continental Hotel has equipped itself with topnotch facilities and services to meet the needs of MICE business. “If our guests are planning a meeting, whether presidential or huge corporate events, an exhibition and a launch, we have the design for all. Our hotel is strategically positioned such that it can fit the top level within the MICE business. We have an amazing commercial team and both hotels need to cover Nigeria and our strength is that we have the two powerhouses in the two power cities under our umbrella. That's key. So, the synchronisation of our clients, how we approach the MICE business, who are the MICE decision makers, how do we offer them the best in both places? And we will take care of all that.
“Guests can convene; have their gatherings and meetings while we are here to deliver. We have 14 hectares of land, three towers and each of them has 200 rooms each. You have almost two and a half thousand square metres of convention facility at the Ladi Kwali wing, which will soon turn into a Congress centre. Abuja is the place to meet. It doesn't matter from which direction. We want to be there for that,” he said.
Reacting to the ever growing MICE business and how Abuja Continental is tapping into that, Karl said: “We have refurbished almost 3,000 square metres, which is a major investment. We put it to a standard, so we don't have to go as far as cities such as Cape Town, Barcelona.
“We have the space and we cater for the guests. The best of audiovisual, recreation space, large gatherings of breakouts, and others already in place for the guests. But, a lot is required because of government conditions for their meeting spaces. We host a lot of high-level meetings and conventions. We are also looking into auditoriums, amphitheaters for the relaxation of our guests. And we have on going renovations of a couple of the convention centres.”
The success so far recorded in the hotel is not a function of the upgrading of facilities alone. But, on how to keep enhancing the performance of staff in line with the trending technology, he said capacity development in the hotel is a given, adding that the staff remains the greatest asset of the organisation.
“The hotel’s commitment to staff development has not gone unnoticed. Staff morale has increased significantly, and employee retention rates have improved. The hotel has also seen a significant improvement in guest satisfaction ratings, with many guests praising the friendly and efficient service provided by hotel staff” he added. He noted that as the hotel continues to grow and expand its operations its commitment to staff development will remain a top priority. The hotel’s management team recognizes that their staffs are its greatest asset and is committed to providing them with the skills and knowledge required to succeed in their careers.
Continuing, he said: “Our staffs are the backbone of our hotel, and we are committed to investing in their future. By providing them with the skills and knowledge required to excel in their roles, we are not only improving their career prospects but also enhancing the overall guest experience.
“Our staffers are our biggest asset. It's not the building. It's all about our people. That's why our key focus is on them. And development is a big thing. And it is evolving. It will never stop.
“So, we have internal training programme, which is between both hotels in Abuja and Lagos. We have direct trainings for each hotel as well. We run programmes online that are very sophisticated, which are used not just by us, but also by the international partners. The training programames cover areas such as how to serve a cup of tea or how to strategically approach a client. We run a transformation training where we bring in experts as facilitators, which we did in both hotels.
“But having said all that, we are also working in direction of the Academy, which we are working within the basic operations of the hotel, like service, kitchens, cleaning, housekeeping, and guest relations. This is to enable staff develop further in their career paths. We are already working with institutions and it is in progress.
We are talking with quite a number of partners, business schools, and some top Nigerian professionals. We also know we need certain other inputs, but we do have the interest and we are very enthusiastic about the response from the Ministry of Education,” he said.
As part of the ongoing transformation, Papillon, one of the popular restaurants is being converted into a breakfast place, where all the terraces outside will be available for a full food and beverage delight while the shops opposite it will be turned into conference rooms. For the wellness of guests, Ladi Kwali Sport Village has been redesigned to offer a wide range of exciting sports activities for the guests. From paddle and pickle ball to tennis courts, football fields, table tennis, squash, basketball and volleyball, the village is an ideal setting for team building events. It is also ideal for hosting exhibitions or fairs, training programmes and breakout sessions during conferences. For the outdoor, the pool bar has also been redesigned making it really trendy.
The Group Managing Director hinted that henceforth there will be constant improvement in all sections of the hotel in order to create much better ambience for customers to meet with friends and business associates. “Like any industry, the hospitality industry is witnessing day-to-day changes spinning trends in food and beverage, new linen, Information Tech, recreation, wellness and all of that. So, with the transformation of the new guest rooms in Tower Three, which we will convert into Abuja Continental Hotel and Suites, guests will have a fulfilled experience,” he noted.
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