ATTATCHMENT REPORT SUBMITTED TO WILDLIFE ESEARCH AND TRAINING INSTITUTE IN PARTIAL

FULFILMENT FOR THE AWARD OF DIPLOMA IN TOURISM AND HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT.

BY: TRACY PRISCAH ODALLOH

ADMISSION: DTM/2021/GSSP/030

ATTATCHMENT INSTITUTION: TAITA HILLS SAFARI RESORT AND SPA AND SALTLICK SAFARI LODGE.

DURATION: 26/01/2023 TO 26/04/2023

APRIL 2023.
DECLARATION
Declaration by student

I declare that this attachment report is my original work and has never been submitted or presented for
examination in any other institution.

Name: TRACY PRISCAH ODALLOH

Admission: DTM/2021/GSSP/030

Sign……………………... Date……………………...
DEDICATION
I would like to dedicate this report to The Almighty God for being on the lead and granting me health
throughout my attachment period. My beloved parents for their moral support and material during the
whole attachment period.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
It is my heartfelt desire to give gratitude to Taita Hills Safari Resort and Spa and Saltlick Safari Lodge for
offering me a place for attachment, offering me accommodation throughout my attachment period. My
supervisor for supporting me through and mostly the Lord Almighty, without him I wouldn’t have sailed
through.
ABSTRACT
This attachment report is an overview of my attachment at Taita Hills Safari Resort ana Spa and Saltlick
Safari Lodge. The department of tourism and hospitality which took a span of 3 months. Industrial
attachment brings the trainee out of the world of theory into a real-world situation to prepare the
trainee to work environment upon completion of studies. The trainee is expected to acquire additional
practical experience to supplement their course of study. This report is a compiled in partial fulfilment
for the Award of Diploma in Tourism and Hospitality at Wildlife Research and Training Institute. It covers
all the departments where the trainee was attached to within the institution, activities done in each
department, the duties assigned and the knowledge and skills acquired are well explained. It talks about
challenges faced during the 3 months and gives a recommendation to the administration. The
conclusion gives a general opinion of the field attachment from the trainee.
Contents
DECLARATION..............................................................................................................................................2
DEDICATION................................................................................................................................................3
ACKNOWLEDGMENT...................................................................................................................................4
ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................................................5
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION...................................................................................................................7
1.1 Introduction.......................................................................................................................................7
Background Information..........................................................................................................................7
Mission................................................................................................................................................7
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Introduction
The report covers a period of 3months of the attachment period. The attachment program is crucial in
assisting the trainee to understand how the tourism and hospitality industry works. A relevant
attachment institution enables the trainee get experience and exposure in the tourism and hospitality
sector. It gives the trainee a platform and exposure to gain additional practical skills to supplement the
theory and basic skills learnt in class.

Background Information
Taita Hills Safari Resort and Spa is a heritage built by German fortress during World War 1. It has a
museum that displays some of the World War 1 memorabilia as part of the rich history of Taita Taveta
County. Taita hills safari resort and spa are located south eastern Kenya, 400km from Nairobi and 200km
from Mombasa and 45km from Voi train station. An hour flight from Nairobi or 30 minutes from
Mombasa by private charter landing directly at the sanctuary own airstrip.

Taita hills safari resort and spa are an inviting stone building of 60 spacious rooms and 2 suites, all with
their private viewing balcony. It also offers facilities sch as airstrip, hotel bar, spa, swimming pool,
lounge, restaurant. They also engage guest in activities such as day and night game drives, birdwatching,
excursions, and nature walks.

Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary is “christened” The Heart of Tsavo. The 28,000acres is equivalent to
110SqKM, the private sanctuary is home to the big four of Lion, Elephant, Buffaloes and Leopard. The
rich bird watcher’s paradise. The sanctuary is driven by four themes namely; Explore: Discover:
Experience: Conserve. Thrilling safari drives early in the morning, afternoon, evening and night allow
unforgettable wildlife encounter during the exciting night safari drive, enthusiasts have the chance to
view unusual animals which include stripped and spotted hyena, mongoose, the silver backed jackal, the
civet, the genet, the bush baby and porcupine.

Saltlick Safari Lodge is a luxurious safari escape set in the heart of Taita Hills Wildlife Sanctuary
overlooking a waterhole and the vast Tsavo plains. It comprises of 98 lodge rooms all elevated on stilts
within rondavels built across 2 levels. Guest rooms are accommodated in double, twin and triple rooms.
Mission
To balance the primary objective of conserving the sanctuary’s unique wildlife, its biodiversity,
geological and natural landscape assets with its secondary objective of optimally utilizing it for tourism
recreation in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the entire region.

Vision
To manage and protect the character and promote the wildlife aesthetic and cultural values of the
sanctuary for the long-term conservation of Taita Sanctuary’s wildlife and biodiversity in a manner that
maximizes the benefits of wildlife preservation and promotion of responsible tourism.

Our core values

Pro-efficiency

Innovation

Dynamism

Transparency

Accountability

Consistency

Fairness
1.6 Organization Structure

1.9
Objectives of Field Attachment
CHAPTER TWO: ACTIVITIES COVERED DURING
ATTATCHMENT.
The trainee had the opportunity to have a taste of tourism and hospitality industry through almost all
the departments at the hotel including the sanctuary. The hotel contains the food and beverage
department, front office, housekeeping, maintenance and accounts.

TAITA WILDLIFE SANCTUARY.

The trainee had an opportunity to have hands-on experience in the sanctuary department. This
department has a wide range of activities to get involved in. office and client services, communication,
resource inventory and related activities, resource handling, event planning and outdoor activities.

Office and Client Service

The trainee was engaged in doing the office filling and office paperwork storage, documentation and
gate pass verification, customer care on handling different type of guests; the targets, guests and
drivers. Visitor handling was also key during the process.

Resource Inventory and Related Activities.

This involved the tourism infrastructure management, development-circuit road management, and site
management by use of observation, discussion and protocol. Habitat management is a drive towards
ensuring the wildlife are well protected and are enjoying freedom of life, movement and feeding
without destructions thus, ecological monitoring surveys, impact assessment transects and mapping was
a major way to collect and keep records.

Game search was done to have track of animals, tracking was done by identifying animal’s footprints
and by their distribution. This was to locate key species at different spots and their density. Guest
security were also ensured by doing patrols, this was also done to check on offroad driving, wildlife
crowding and succeeding harassments.

Game drives were a large intermediary between the hotel and the guest, game drives were done in the
morning, evening and at night this was a great opportunity to discover the heart of Tsavo where magic
never ends and guiding technique were use to add more professionalism. The trainee was also involved
in event planning and outdoor activities such as bush dinner, sundowner, bush breakfast, nature walks,
tree planting and conservation talks.

Resource handling

This involved photography which helps to know how nature is communicating, use of GPS during field
practical helped to know where to locate different animals.
FRONT OFFICE DEPARTMENT

The first task was to welcome guest as the front office is the face of the hotel where guests first come
into contact with hotel personnel. The trainee was involved in a lot of tasks including;

Answering calls tactfully to encourage purchase to potential buyers and accept reservations which
helped to minimize occupancy. Liaising with other departments was done to be fully equipped with
important information as well as disseminate the information to other departments.

The trainee learnt to be responsible for safety and security of guest and their belonging in terms of keys
and health as a first aid kit was always kept handy at the front office.

During night audit the trainee

Completed outstanding postings

Balance all departmental accounts

Verify room rates

Post room rates and taxes

Prepared required reports

Prepare cash receipts for deposit

Distribute the reports

Verify no-show reservations- people who would have made bookings and failed to honor them.
HOUSEKEEPING DEPARTMENT

The trainee had an opportunity to have hands-on experience in the housekeeping department. it mas
two major divisions which are the rooms division and the public area (PA)

Duties performed by the trainee while in the rooms division were:

Bed making; this involved aerating the room, making a bed, cleaning the room and finally the bathroom.

Fill in the room status list and have it to the front office indicating all rooms that are clean and ready to
occupy as well as rooms which are out of order.

Attending to guest queries and solve them.

Washing and ironing linen as well as guest clothes and all table clothes. This also involved linen control
and regular stock checks.

Turndown service between 5 and 6pm, this entails renewing towels, closing all windows, replenishing
guest supplies and tiding the guest comes to retire at night.

Notify the department of all faults

When business was not at peak deep cleaning was done.

The trainee cleaned all the public areas these include; the conference rooms, all corridors, offices and all
public toilets.
IMPORTANCE OF VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS

FRONT OFFICE/FRONT DESK

The front office department works on a broad field, this is where reservation, guest relation, cashiering,
night audits are handled.

The front office acts as the public face of the hotel, by greeting hotel guests check them in. The front
office primarily is responsible for selling of rooms and market the hotel through excellent
communication skills by the front office personnel.

It is important because all the reservation are made through the FO. Front office staff welcome guest,
carry their luggage and answer questions about activities in the hotel and surrounding areas.
Information about room status and room statistics found at the front office. It is also important as it
allocates rooms to guest, hand them keys as well as keeping keys safe during their stay at the lodge.

During the guest stay at the lodge the front office assists in all the guest services by cording with other
departments.

It also arranges miscellaneous guest services for instance organizing a baby sitter.

Photocopying and duplicating of documents for guests and other departments is done by the front
office, in and outgoing mails is handled by the FO personnel. Finally, it completes their accommodation,
food and beverage, accounts and receives payment from guest.

The front office gives first impression to the guest which portrays the lodges image.
HOUSEKEEPING

Housekeeping is also very important to the lodge, its basically divided into 4, public area, rooms, laundry
and supervision.

Kasvana et al 1998 defines housekeeping operation as the provision of clean, comfortable and safe
environment in rooms and public areas. The house keeping department is considered lodge ambassador
because of dedication and responsibility of maintaining the lodges image. The housekeeping
department is important as it performed detailed work to provide a clean, comfortable environment for
guest to enjoy.

The housekeeping department ensures that what the guest see and experience result in a positive
impression of the property. They clean guest rooms and communicate with the front office desk
operation informing them on which rooms are clean and ready to be occupied.

The housekeeping department does the of public areas and all conference rooms, the lobby, the guest
washrooms, kids club and are responsible for cleaning all offices.

The department is also important as it manages laundry operations which include wash of linen and
ironing, room service is also done by the house keeping department.

Supervision is in charge of checking on cleanliness, maintenance, and standards of rooms. They are also
responsible for liarcing with the front office to know or rather get inhouse stayover, departures and
arrival which will later be uses to issue rooms and plan their work and divide duties.

Cleaning a hotel isn’t just a job, its adventure and housekeeping, keep things in top condition.
FOOD AND BEVERAGE

The kitchen department is key in the hospitality industry this is where all production of food and
beverage is done. The kitchen is divided in 2 hot kitchen and the cold kitchen which are further broken
down into various departments. We have the larder department which is part of the cold kitchen where
all salads are made using different types of vegetables and fruits are use you also get use art to do all
your dressing before presentation.

We have the saucier department where different types of soups and finishing of meat is done, the
breakfast department is in charge of preparing breakfast, the bakery and pastry department which
makes sweets like cakes sweet buns, croissants, mahamri, mandazi baking of break and slicing of bread.
The Indian department is also in charge of making Indian foods. Finally, we have the butchery where
meat is done both white and red meat.

Food is a very essential part of life; it gives us energy and we cannot do without it. The food and
beverage department are responsible for provision of food and beverage in the hotel. Guests do not
only need accommodation but they also need meals to go with.

The departments main concern is to provide efficient service to satisfy the guest. cousins et al 2000
stipulates that food and beverage department is concerned with provision of food and drinks ready for
consumption away from home.

This department is directly involved with handling of food and highest standards of hygiene are
expected from food handlers.

The combination of color and proper lighting adds the appetite of guests. the department is also
important as the waiters give a warm welcome to guests and attend to their need during meals. This will
bring a repeat business to the organization. When guest have excellent meals experience, they also
market the hotel through word of mouth.
CHAPTER THREE

SWOT ANALYSIS.

Swot analysis is an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of an organization. It

analyses the internal strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and threats by external environment. The
trainee did a SWOT analysis of the departments.

STREANGTHS

WEAKNESSES

Less permanent employees

Less number of tour vehicles to run the activities at the sanctuary.

OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS

CHALLENGES

CONCLUSION

RECOMENDATIONS