Could you give to our readers a brief historical background about your hotel?
This hotel has 30 years of history. It was actually created in the late 60's, under the former Emperor, and Hilton International was selected to manage it. At the same time, Hilton was expanding in this part of the world with a number of hotels in the region. Nairobi, Cairo, Istanbul, Athens and Addis Ababa were the first great international hotels from America under European management. Hilton has been here now for 30 years, it has known three different regimes, and two revolutions.
Have you celebrated your 30th Anniversary?
We have done special things, but not luxurious or grandiose things, given the current situation. We have prepared sports events, organised a children's art contest, sponsored the launch of Mohamed Amin's biography and will carry on with introductory receptions as our refurbishment progresses.
Which are the main guidelines of the refurbishment plan?
The main guideline was to reach different markets within the limitations of a specific budget. We had to diversify the investment in order to meet a variety of guest needs by spending in different areas. We addressed our recreation and health facilities, our main restaurants and the meeting facilities. Security, fire and safety are our primary concerns and a major expenditure was allocated to this area. A total of 7 guestroom floors or 200 rooms, suites and junior suites are undergoing a full soft refurbishment.
How many employees do you have, and what is the share between Ethiopians and foreigners?
We have about 500 employees between the permanent and the temporary people. We only have three non-nationals among the 500 employees.
One year ago the Sheraton was opened. Since then how do you face the competition?
Whenever a new player comes into the market, things change. It depends who the players are, and what is their approach to establish themselves. This is a very unusual situation, because we have an incredibly luxurious competitor given the environment. But we have to deal with it, because it is already there. It has made us a lot sharper and wiser. It has also made us open up to markets that we did not consider before, it also made us restructure our refurbishment programs to be able to capture a variety of markets. We have done this quite well and I believe our competitors are extremely surprised. I think when we will finish the refurbishment later in the year we will be in a very good position indeed.
Why do you think Ethiopia, with its historical and nature based tourism is performing very slowly? Do you think that the country has a bad image, and in your opinion what should be done to make the country more visible?
As you said, Ethiopia sometimes is a victim of an image that is totally wrong. Once you start to learn about this country, it has so much to offer. It is really an educational project as people always remember the negative things, as is human nature. People remember the famines and the war, eventhough both were relatively brief and extremely geographically limited. The main things that can be done are exposure, knowledge, information and communication. | 
Did you feel an influence of the conflict on your activities?
Inevitably, it had negative aspects in terms of business. We have less tourists and diplomats which is perfectly normal in such kinds of situations. It has reduced travel and we rely on travellers for our business.
Ethiopian Airlines has inaugurated its direct flight to the United States recently. Is there a difference for you in terms of US arrivals at the Hilton Hotel?
People have a choice now, whether they want to go through Europe or straight through. Having done it a few times I can say it is a very pleasant way to travel quickly to the U.S. There is no need of transit visas in Europe, and baggage comes straight through. It has also contributed a lot to the transit passengers business. People can originate from Bangkok and travel to Washington with only a few stops.
How do you see your hotel in the next five years? In other words what are your visions about the hotel's development?
We see the market growing slowly, but in a very stable and sustained way. We also see a year on year growth of the market and we expect it to continue over the next five years. We intend to continue developing the hotel, in line with the changing needs of this diverse market.
As a personal issue, having the experience in many parts of Africa like in Kenya, Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire, how do you differentiate Ethiopia from the other African countries and what did you learn from it?
It is difficult to compare countries. Each one has things to offer. Ethiopia is definitely unique, I do not think you can compare it with Sub Saharan Africa. First of all culturally, ethnically and historically it is a completely distinct country. I have learnt a lot of things from Ethiopia. One of them is certainly to appreciate the unique hospitality that is typical of its well-defined and very living culture.
What is the secret of your management and how were you able to create such a nice atmosphere in this hotel?
It is the result of a team effort and it comes from the employees themselves as well as the trainers who were involved with them. Getting to know your customers, trying to spend a little time with them and making them feel at home is very important in our business. Hospitality is very important all over Africa and even more so to travellers visiting here from afar.
As a final issue, what will be your final message to our readers?
They should develop their understanding. My message would be "find out more about Ethiopia", it has a lot to offer, more than one could imagine and they will be pleasantly surprised. Ethiopia is moving forward in a very steady and calculated way. It has been well established here for over 2000 years and will certainly be here for 2000 more. |
