Jibril Aliyu is the acting general manager of Hawthorn Suites, Abuja. In this interview with Anthony Ada Abraham, the talented young and hardworking man speaks on why Nigerians should patronise homemade tourist sites and other sundry issues.
Can you give us an insight on how you started off with this tourism business?
Hawthorn hotel, Abuja is owned and operated by a company called Shelter Suit and Hotels. Shelter Suit and hotels was incorporated sometime in 2001. They bought the franchise of Wyndham brand, an American brand, one of the largest hotel chains in the world. They have over 7,800 hotels worldwide and we bought shelters suits and hotel franchise as the first in Africa. So this property is owned by them. More or less, I am here as the acting general manager. Though, we used to have a general manager before now, but due to one thing or the other, she left and I assumed this position.
Since you came in, how has the business been?
Business, like all businesses in Nigeria, has been very slow, very down and that’s what everyone is facing, especially us in the hospitality industry. I think we have been hit the most because our industry is connected and relatively the economy of the country. If there is much activity in the economy, people will come because Nigeria is not a tourism driven country. So we have been hit the most. Right now in Abuja, if your hotel is giving 20 per cent occupancy, that means they are good, most hotels in Abuja don’t get to do that, and so it’s been challenging. The money is no longer there, activities, conferences don’t happen again, all of these have brought the business to a standstill, it’s really challenging.
So what do you think can be done to really boost the tourism business in Nigeria?
I think proper policies would help. And the security issue is the most vital because if you don’t get the security right, nobody will come to your country and that’s what tourism relies on. If people are afraid of coming, if you go to trade, you will see that if you are coming to Nigeria, things like these helps to position the mind-set of tourists. You have to be careful about security issues and then everything will follow gradually. The policies that the government will put in place will play a major role in it.
What about the tourism business in Nigeria basically?
More or less, we don’t have tourism in Nigeria. I think we don’t patronise our own business. Nigerian people, whenever they have money, all they think of is to travel to Dubai when they have beautiful places like Tinapa, Obudo Cattle Ranch and others. Yes, things have to improve; most of the facilities have to be improved so that we stay at home and value what we have because foreigners value what they have, that’s why they are where they are. And also, if we patronise what we have, I think we will be able to buckle-up. For instance, the Kano Durbar Festival witnesses people from outside the country coming because they have kept that tradition and they want people to come, like Calabar festival also, every December people from outside the country come… So these are little things that will help but also the federal government will have to push on these and citizens of Nigeria have to really contribute to this.
You said your hotel is accredited by international brand?
We are the only all suits hotels in Abuja and in Nigeria. When you come, you have a room and a sitting room, our rooms are spacious. It’s like an apartment and it’s like hotel, so this is what differentiates us from others.
What other activities do you engage in like entertainment, relaxations?
We have a gym, we have meeting facilities, we have a coffee lounge where people can come and relax, we try to keep this place as private and secure as possible. Security is one of our main priorities, you can’t even go up to our rooms without vatation whenever they are visiting?
If you leave your home to come here, expect to get that comfort and space you think you have in your house. I believe in Abuja, only few places can be compared with us with the kind of food we serve and the space we have.
So as the manager of this place, how would you describe hotel business in Nigeria and Abuja in particular?
Hotel business is one of those businesses that either you are in it or you are not. And as I keep telling my people, it’s not a half-in-half-out business. It’s either your full attention is there or you forget it. The reason most people make mistakes in hotel business is that you wake up, you have the money, you think your hotel is like your house but you need to account for everything in it, whereas, in your house you are buying and that is it. here your main focus has to be there. It’s not something that you say you want to do, you have to be 100 per cent dedicated, it’s a very tedious job but once you have the right people and the right things around you, thing will go smoothly also .
Has the recession really affected hotel business?
Yes, it has because, before recession, there was no money, some people might say hotel is luxury, before you have people coming from Lagos to Abuja to spend a night or two, now people will come to Abuja and make sure they finish what they came for in a day. The recession has really hit us because one would think, ‘why would I spend this money and stay in a hotel when I can return to my house that same day, and the rate is an issue. Three months ago, tomatoes were going to almost N40, 000 a basket and if you sell food for N3, 500 they will say it’s very expensive. All the ingredients that are used in making that food are more than that. So we are trying as much as possible not to increase our prices but there are certain things with which you have to break even.
That means the hotel is affordable?
Yes, it is. We have a lot of NGOs that come here, everybody that comes will be able to afford it.
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