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Interview with
Mr Barry Pitman,
Ex-Manager HILTON NAIROBI
Nairobi, April 7th 1999
Contact
Postal Address: P.O.Box 30624, Nairobi, Kenya.
Address: Mama Ngina Street, Nairobi.
Tel : +254 (2) 250000
Fax : +254 (2) 250099
Cable : HILTELS Nairobi
E-mail : hilton@africaonline.co.ke
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Could you tell us a brief history of your hotel?
Hilton Nairobi was one of the first major international chain hotels to open in Kenya and will be celebrating its 30th anniversary during 1999. The hotel is situated in the central city location surrounded by major local and international companies including banks and Government offices. The unique distinctive tower building offers guests panoramic views of different areas around the city of Nairobi. Hilton also operates in Tsavo, i.e. Hilton Taita Hills Lodge, Hilton Salt Lick Lodge and Hilton Safari Camp, which is approximately 5 hours drive from Nairobi and approximately 3 hours from Mombasa.
The Hilton Nairobi has been renovated recently. Could you tell us what the improvements have been and what major changes have been done?
Over the 3 years up until 1998, the hotel embarked on a major renovation program to the tune of US$ 12 million. This included guestrooms in the main tower of the building and our poolside kazuri rooms, banqueting and function rooms, public areas and shopping arcade, lobby and reception areas and our Travellers restaurant. Additionally, we also installed the most up to date state of the art fire and safety system in Africa which was approved by IMF consultants as well as an external fire escape staircase, in addition to the internal fire escape for added safety and security of our guests.
Top class hotels have mushroomed lately in Nairobi, such as the Serena, Intercontinental, Grand Regency, etc. In which way has that affected the Hilton?
Any new competitor operating a first class hotel has an impact on the market and those particularly so in a market such as Nairobi where we have an over-supply of guestrooms. Our recent refurbishment has ensured Hilton Nairobi remains competitive in the market place and offers standards of service and quality of facilities accepted by our guests. It is through continuous improvement of service and an excellent product that we are able to maintain our competitive edge and thus maximise our business opportunities.
How does Hilton differentiate itself from the rest of the Hotels? That is, what does it offer that the others do not or cannot offer?
Hilton Nairobi is very fortunate for being located in the centre of the business and financial district of Nairobi. There are surrounding us many corporate international companies, government offices, airlines and banks for which our proximity is advantageous to our guests. We offer a standard of service that is synonymous with Hilton hotels and being part of the worlds most recognised branded first class hotel company. Hilton has an international reservation system, known as Hilstar, which allows guests from around the world to make reservations at any Hilton hotel.
Many foreigners worry about the quality of the service in developing countries. How do you train your personnel in order to provide the expected service at Hilton hotel?
The Hilton team has a combination of many pioneer staff blended with new starters and those of lesser period of service. We have training programs which we complete ourselves here in Nairobi such as basic level training and skills training, which is completed in the first few weeks after orientation. It is our objective to be able to offer levels of service that are consistent with those you would expect in any Hilton hotel world-wide and, for this reason, in addition to our entry level training we have supervisory level training and more advanced leadership training programs for all members of staff. Hilton Nairobi is the base for the Africa Training Centre for which we bring participants from our sister hotels in Africa, Middle East and Egypt to complete courses in supervision and specific skills courses which have been researched and developed by Hilton. Needless to say, training is ongoing and an essential part of the development of our teams in all sections of the hotel.
What is the Hilton Nairobi connection with other Hilton lodges in Kenya such as the Hilton Salt Lick Lodge near Mombasa?
Hilton operates three lodges namely, Hilton Taita Hills Safari Lodge, Hilton Salt Lick Safari Lodge and Hilton Safari Camp in Tsavo which have their own management team and work closely with the management team at Hilton Nairobi, particularly for Sales and Marketing. Several members of the Hilton Nairobi management team also have additional responsibilities in their role for the lodges. It is important to work very closely and maintain excellent communication so every opportunity for referral and initial business is maximised. | What is the competitive edge of these lodges?
The 28,000 acre Hilton Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is fully owned by Hilton International and is managed by the Hilton team. A wide variety of game can be viewed in their natural habitat including lions, elephants, leopards, giraffes and cheetahs to name a few. The three properties provide unique experiences within one area, including a 9 hole golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts and conference facilities available at Hilton Taita Hills Lodge. Also available are day and night game viewing and morning breath-taking balloon safaris by a private operator. Due to its close proximity, the lodges are only a short distance from Mombasa which is convenient for both international and local tourists.
What kind of guests do you receive mostly locals, businessmen, tourists and what countries are they coming from?
We receive guests from all market segments and tourists mainly from European countries, Far East and the United States. A good percentage of our corporate business is from Europe, Gulf and Middle East and Africa. Quite a lot of our business originates via our world-wide reservation service, our sister hotels and regular Hilton users particularly those who are members of our Hilton Hhonors world-wide program. The diplomatic and UN market is important for individual bookings and meetings and conferences. We also host several airline crews, which is testament to the quality of service and level of security in our hotel.
Do you have agreements with international airlines or with booking agencies?
The hotel has contract agreements with major Travel Agencies, Tour Operators, Airlines and Corporate companies and development of business relationships between these and the government bodies is very important to ensure that repeat and new business is secured. Our Hilton Hhonors world-wide program consists of over 25 major airline partners and by joining this award-winning program, guests can quickly double their earning power toward free or discounted travel rewards. Hhonors is one of the only hotel programs to allow members to earn both hotel points and airline frequent flyer miles for the same stay at qualifying rates - it's what we call "Double Dipping". Also, we have individual programs for specific market segments such as Touchdown Program for airline crews.
The market is not growing very much in the past years. How do you perceive the present Tourism situation?
The industry in Kenya has suffered in recent years due to a drop in tourist numbers and the emergence of other popular destinations in Africa. Unfortunately, many incidents have been publicised and the 7th August bombing at the US Embassy did not help. Security and roads infrastructure are the two main issues being addressed and improvement can be considered essential for future growth. The outlook for tourists until the Year 2000 appears positive.
What are your short / medium term plans?
Our short-term challenges include growing our business and maintaining market share. In order to achieve this, we have to work very hard to promote Kenya as a destination for business and tourism. Improvements in tourism and the current economic situation should hopefully allow business to grow in the near future. Hilton as a Company has had many recent initiatives, one being the strategic alliance of Hilton International and Hilton Corporation hotels. This global alliance focuses on joint Sales and Marketing and Information Technology initiatives which together bind the Hilton brand on a world-wide basis and is having a very positive impact on business, particularly with our Hhonors guest loyalty program.
What does it consist of?
As explained in answer number 9, the Hilton Hhonors program is a guest reward program whereby guests can quickly double their earning power toward free or discounted travel rewards. Hhonors is one of the only hotel programs to allow members to earn both hotel points and airline frequent flyer miles for the same stay at qualifying rates - it's what we call "Double Dipping". As part of the strategic alliance in June 1998, we launched our new worldwide logo for Hilton hotels which ties together the brand. In the last quarter of 1998, we introduced our new worldwide advertising campaign "It happens at the Hilton" which features famous people who actually stayed at Hilton hotels.
What is your final message for our readers, to those who do not know Kenya?
We are always very happy to welcome American tourists to Hilton Nairobi and our lodges in Tsavo. Hilton is synonymous with hospitality in America and it is our mission to ensure our guests experience service and quality standards at the level they appreciate back in the US. |
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© World INvestment NEws, 1999.
This is the electronic edition of the special country report on Kenya published in Forbes Global Magazine.
November 29th 1999 Issue.
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