What were your motivations when opening this Hotel?
Our holding company is basically in manufacture, construction, insurance and other businesses in Malaysia, and the hotel is a small part of this. The Malaysian government has the largest investment outside Malaysia in Sudan. In the future more oil concessions and blocks in Sudan will be given to the Malaysian companies, therefore more Malaysian business is expected to come into Sudan. The Government of Sudan has increased the amount of memorandum of understanding with Malaysian companies and corporations, and there will be an escalation of Malaysian investors in Sudan. These are the reasons why our company decided to invest in Sudan for the long haul.
What are the services Asian businessmen require from the hotel?
For Asians travelers, Asian style hospitality is the most important part of the hotel experience. They expect the same standard of hospitality that is available in Malaysia or in other Asian countries. Malaysian businessmen are only comfortable if they can get the same service standards they get in Malaysia, and the most important of all is the food. Asian food is very important to them, and businessmen coming to Sudan who stay a minimum of seven days are going to miss whatever they get at home. A lot of businessmen who come to Sudan need somebody who is Asian, who they can relate to, trust and ask for information. Besides offering a room, food and hospitality they expect a hotel manager to do background check on prospective companies for them, introduce people, and create links.
How many rooms do you have and what is your occupancy rate?
We have 116 rooms, which have been categorized into: Superior, Deluxe, Executive rooms and suites, plus a President Suite, which is always used when different heads of states come to Sudan. The hotel has an average occupancy of 80%.
In Khartoum there are two major hotels with the best standard of quality: Hilton and the Grand Holiday Villa. Give us some reasons why customers coming from Asia should rather stay in your hotel than in the Hilton?
The first reason is that we have Asian style and hospitality, which other hotels here cannot offer. We personally receive every guest, especially the ones who come here for the first time. As a manager I always advise that before they come to the country they should read magazines, books, and go to the Internet about Sudan. Their embassies should be able to assist them with the information they require. The hotel also acts as an advisory center if and when needed by businessman and this gives us a better leverage over other hotels.
What particularity have you found here in Sudan in the tourism business as compared to other countries where you have been working previously?
I think tourism in this country is still not exploited. I had a meeting with the new tourism Minister and I think he is doing his very best. When I talked to the Minister I told him that firstly in order to have tourism you have to build your basic infrastructure. There must be more frequent flights. Telecommunications is a very big priority, because tourists are always comfortable if they can communicate back to the countries they come from. You must have hotels to house the tourist, and there must be a professional and efficient ground handling company to bring the tourist from the airport to the hotel. Next, you need to have a list of places to visit. You need to create places for excitement, and there are a lot of things in Sudan but the problem is that nobody has commercialized them yet. | What advise would you give to foreigners when it comes to dealing with local people and doing business with the Sudanese?
One of the best ways is to form a consul of businessmen, for example a group of businessmen from Malaysia who like to do business in Sudan. It is a good idea to have a group of businessmen together who are manufacturers or exporters to come to Sudan in a form of delegation in order to have the maximum effect. This is very important for the businessmen, because this way the public as well as the businessmen can see the products. If they come in as a group, obviously they would command a bigger audience. This is the best way to do business in Sudan. In this manner, people would come to you rather than you going to them.
What are the countries and nationalities of your guests, and what new clientele are you looking at expanding?
50% of our guests are Malaysians, followed by other Asians. There is a lot of Koreans too, and the Chinese, who have came here long ago for construction and now for petroleum. There are also British businessmen coming here, but British are basically more consultative and they are doing business like telecommunication, infrastructure business, and power stations.
What are the main challenges you have set forward?
My industry is basically the hospitality industry. The Sudanese are very nice people and friendly, but relatively new to the hospitality industry. Culturally they are still new and they have not been exposed to foreigners, so my first task is to train the people to be very comfortable with the guests, and to be able to speak to the guest. This process is an ongoing task.
Finally, could you please tell about your own professional background?
I was an army officer and my background is in the infantry. I did my degree in chemistry and biology. I entered the hospitality industry many years ago. I served in many countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Greece, India, Hong Kong, Malaysia of course, Middle East and Africa, so I am exposed to different regions, different parts of the world and to different cultures. I am also the Chairman of The Sudan Malaysia Business Council in Khartoum.
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