Term Paper on "Hotel Lodging Operations"

Term Paper 12 pages (3690 words) Sources: 3

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Hotel Lodging Operations:

Analysis of the Host Country Resort Industry:

I will assume the general manager's position in Kenya's hotel tourism industry. Kenya is an East African country which is mainly a tourist destination for tourists all over the world. In fact, tourism is the third largest foreign exchange earner in Kenya ("Investing in Kenya" par, 1). This industry is always on the upward growth trend as a result of diversification of tourist generating markets, liberalization initiatives and the Government's dedication to provide a suitable environment for tourism. Political stability and successful tourism promotion by the Kenyan government has led to the creation of many opportunities for investment. These investment opportunities in film production, recreation and entertainment facilities are available in cultural tourism, conference tourism, cruise ship tourism, eco-tourism and travel tourism. Potential investors in these opportunities are encouraged to take full advantage through direct investments or joint-ventures with Kenyan entrepreneurs.

In addition to this, investment opportunities also exist in the construction and development of countrywide tourist hotels and game lodges. The country has a wide range of potential tourist attractions that have not been fully utilized. Most of Kenya's tourism industry activities have been mainly concentrated in the coastal area and the National Parks and Game Reserves. This means that there is a similar potential for tourism attraction areas within the country that is yet to be exploited. As a matter of fact, the government of Kenya has adopted a policy to encourage the regional diversification of tourism industry. The Kenyan government argues that there is a need for identifying other tourist attraction sites beside the existing one in National Parks, Game Reserves and Beaches.

For Kenya to ensure that there is an extended stay of safari tourists, all the investors should emphasize on the development of inland resorts which are situated next to National Parks and Game Reserves. The development of these inland resorts has been severely affected by lack of enough investment capital. As a result, the involvement of investors in such investment ventures and opportunities will be very much encouraged by the Kenyan government for the sole purpose of utilizing the tourism potential in these areas.

The other important information about the tourism industry is that it's one of the most important sectors of Kenyan economy. It is believed that the tourism industry provides direct and indirect employment opportunities to thousands of people. In addition to being the second highest foreign exchange earner after the agricultural sector, the tourism sector has been growing tremendously in the last one year. With the step up marketing especially in non-traditional markets and Kenya Airways widened area coverage, Kenya's tourism sector has had a 28% increase in the number of visitors either by air or sea. This increase can also be attributed to improved security in the tourism circuits and the new tourism ventures in Western and Northern parts of Kenya. Furthermore, the tourism sector is expected to continue growing in the coming years due to the stepped up marketing campaigns amongst other reasons.

In addition to the reasons stated above, Kenya serves as Africa's main tourist destination to many tourists because it is a country with seven wild habitats (savannah beaches, sandy beaches, river deltas, coral reefs, wild deserts, snow-capped mountains and deep forests). Apart from this the country also has a diverse culture consisting of 42 different ethnic groups, different major archaeological sites and a wealthy sporting history.

The basis for choosing Kenya's hotel tourism industry as an international resort market is due to the many advantages that this kind of investment has as compared to the disadvantages. Due to the swift increase of tourism arrivals in Kenya, the country is faced with a heightened shortage of beds. In its effort to address this challenge, the Kenyan government is foreign direct investments. These investments should be in the improvement of hotels, lodges and vacation rentals in Kenya. Tour operations and group handling are the other areas of interest in this sector.

Programs and Property Renovations:

I have chosen to take the general manager position of Paradise Hotel in Mombasa. This Israeli Hotel in Kenya was attacked by a group of terrorists on 22 November 2002. The beautiful Israeli hotel on the African seashore was designed and built solely for the Israeli tourist market (Atzmon par, 2). Since the 2002 terrorists' attacks on this hotel, business has not been as usual. The hotel was booming in business prior to the attacks and has since been on the downward trend due to fear of future attacks.

The hotel was officially launched in 2001, a year later after it started to operate. The workers were recruited from the surrounding hotels. Initially, most workers were rather happy but things deteriorated speedily soon after the official launch. Given the fact that the idea to erect an Israeli hotel in Kenya in the late 1990's failed, Paradise Hotel was slowly picking up until the Israeli extravaganza cropped in. The humiliating practice by Israeli travelers three years after the inception pf the hotel has left an open wound in the memory of some female hotel crew veterans.

For example, the female hotel crew veterans were all forced to gather near the entrance gate and chase the leaving busses while crying dreadfully in front of the Israelis who were checking out on their way back to the airport. The crew would be ordered to do this once a week, and shouting 'Why do you leave us?', 'We miss you', and 'We love you.' As they female crew caught up with the busses they would bang its metal frame with tears dropping from their eyes. Some of the Israelis believed that the women were genuine while others would take a video of the scene. The female crew who rejected the order would risk losing their jobs. According to the management, this weekly bus chasing was just one of the many examples of the way the staffs were supposed to care for the Israeli guests. Such principles were obviously humiliation, stripping of dignity and hard labor of the female crew veterans.

The Management's objectives in subjecting the workers to these guidelines were to make the clients happy and ensure that the clients return. The most burdened workers were the female ones in the entertainment team. Once a week the workers were taken to the airport and forced to sing "Hello, Hello" to the arriving guests. While the guests enjoyed every bit of it, the local Kenyans thought that the workers were crazy. As if not enough, the workers were ordered to sing loudly in the night and scream until the last Israeli left the dance floor. The manager threatened the workers with a wage cut if they fell asleep along the way. In cases where the Israelis would stay longer in the dance floor, the workers were required to stay with them until they go to their rooms. This continual demand to entertain the guests ensured that all the workers were utilized including pulling some of them from the kitchen to entertain the guests.

For the purposes of maintaining an authentic African spirit, the workers were coerced to put on very minimal clothes. As compared to the other hotels in the surrounding area, the male workers were walking around half naked and with bare feet while in other hotels the men serve in uniform. On the other hand, the female staffs were forced to put on just a minimal fabric on their breasts and pubes. This mode of dressing was unchanging even when temperatures dropped. With this kind of treatment, even the most basic working conditions are lacking in Paradise Hotel in Mombasa, Kenya.

After the terrorists' attacks, Paradise Hotel Mombasa was closed and reopened under a new management two months later. The management now comprises of one Israeli, one French and one American. Unlike the previous management, this new management will try to change the hotel's image by leaving the Israeli market behind and focusing to appeal to both the European and American international resort markets.

In order to bring back the hotel to its original state in business, I intend to carry out renovations on programs and the property. The program will be designed in such a way that it is inclusive of all visitors to the country as opposed to being focused on the Israeli tourists alone. As the general manager, I have realized that by making the hotel all inclusive, many travelers will visit the hotel and as a result, the hotel will experience tremendous growth. Part of the program includes offering an America couisine suitable for all American travelers who visit the hotel. The hotel will infuse the American couisine with other African modes of cooking. This will help the travelers feel at home and also get a taste of the African food cooked in the American style.

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