Creating an innovative and competitive African hotel

brand and be successful Post-COVID19

It was already clear after AHIF 2019 and with the return to the “New Normal” after COVID19 it is
more obvious than ever; hospitality in Africa is full of opportunities. At AHIF the focus was on the
brands & chains whilst most likely almost the same number of rooms were on their way by local
owners/entrepreneurs. Post-COVID19 projects are delayed and a large number of mostly sub-
standard and poorly financed hotel rooms will however most likely disappear or come up for sale.
The hospitality market is clearly being reshuffled which provides unique opportunities to “leap-
frog” for those who recognize the potential and are willing to adapt or rather; INNOVATE.

Include a truly African identity and guest experience,

sustainability and digitalization
Several requirements / demands by guests were becoming more important and COVID19 has
added some more, which must be addressed to be able to attract the Post-COVID19-traveller

• Guests are hungrier than ever for “experiences”. They want to see, feel and eat something
“genuine”. Bland generic hotels with cookie-cutter approach will not be the winners in this
scenario.
• Guests (especially the younger generations) expect instant feedback on their issues, as they
are used to “instant gratification” whilst using their smartphones. Information and
feedback have to be available “at their fingertips”.
• Due to COVID19 guests want even more to feel safe and trust must be regained. There is a
strong need for active communication regarding hygiene- and safety-protocols and other
relevant developments.
• All procedures and information should nevertheless be easy to access and handle
• Sustainability, both socially and environmentally, is expected by all stakeholders

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com

 Create truly contemporary and innovative African hospitality with a
strong African identity, appealing to modern travellers!
The guest experience is initially impacted by design, atmosphere and lay-out but certainly also on
the way the corporate culture (the “Why”) translates in the product, service and communication.

There are, mostly in the leisure segment,

hotels and resorts in a traditional African or
colonial style but most new business and
city hotels do not go beyond the “alibi”-
Africa-elements. These days clients expect
an experience in a hotel/resort with and
identity and they want their demands to be
dealt with here and now, which is nearly
impossible on a larger scale without
digitalization.

The brands will work with professional

interior designer who will, up to some
extent, include some local materials or art,
but it remains an X-brand-style hotel.

African local owners will usually not engage an interior designer, as they often do not tend to work
with architects who have experience in designing hotels. In a good number of cases personal taste
prevails or “Madam” decides, whilst ignoring target group and upcoming trends. This results in:

· hotels with NO design, style, identity or atmosphere.

· Dubai-style hotels, as they enjoy going to Dubai and
love it. Typically it has container-loads of marble, brass &
gold-plating.
· Chinese style and material, as this is where most
furniture and fittings are being bought. Besides often
being of poor quality it has a somewhat dark and glossy
appeal. The mixture of styles and materials is sometimes
horrific but “awkward” at best as it feels that the buyers
were overwhelmed by the enormous range of beautiful
things in different styles.
· Hotels fitted with inexpensive locally purchased low
quality (import from China or locally produced) furniture
and fittings without a consistent design language.
· Art is usually of the “art & craft”-quality, which can be
had a dime a dozen.

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com

 Sustainability is a must-have and expected & appreciated by guests
Sustainability has been relevant for
decades, but its meaning and content
have evolved, and it is more
important than ever. It started with
protecting wildlife and later the
reduction of energy and water
consumption, but it is now applied to
everything we do (or rather don’t do).
All over the world people recognize
that the consequences of our actions;
political, business and personal, have
partially caused the COVID19 pandemic or at least enabled its quick spreading. And the whole
“situation” caused that we can no longer ignore some other “uncomfortable truths”.

Many technologies are sustainable and have a direct positive influence on your bottom line, such
as installing solar panels on your roof or heat recovery from your central AC. Other decisions and
policies will only have an indirect but
nevertheless positive effect on your
product (and thus bottom line!), such
as staff motivation. Many will not
have a direct financial impact but will
strengthen the local producers of food
and other products, the local
communities. This will strengthen the
overall societal fabric, improve the
livelihoods of many and prevent that
future pandemea (Yes, this won’t be
the last one!) will not have such an impact as you can source locally and do not rely as much on
items from the other end of the world. Consumers will increasingly include your corporate attitude
in how they rate you as a company and it will influence their booking decisions. Simply said: they
wouldn’t book a hotel that dumps their raw sewage in the river or ocean but would prefer a
property where staff genuinely smiles because they are treated fairly.
The support of the local society and culture
could also result in great synergies when you
want to create real “experiences” (yet
another “buzz-word”) for your guests to get
in touch with the place the are, albeit
temporarily, living. This could include
performing arts, real African life, visiting
nature and agricultural projects and much
more and will be highly appreciated by all
segments, incl. the “bleisure” or “bizcation”
traveler and improve your revenue.

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com

 Embracing technology and digitalization will help you to improve guest
experience, be more efficient and profitable
African hotel owners/investors, especially when hospitality is nor their core-business, also ignore
the possibilities of digitalization in operations management and guest communication/service as
they may have not encountered and used it very often in their hotel-visits abroad.

Private owners tend to invest in the costly basics (PMS & POS), depending on their advisors, and
leave out useful components such as digital guest information (incl. online check-in etc.), digital
operations management and communication tools, revenue management tools and CRM for
efficient personalized guest communication (and offer a personalized alternative to the loyalty
programs). Digitalization and personalization of service as expected from the new generations of
guests has only been addressed by -some- brands, which will incorporate considerably more
“systems” to manage the hotel but in general, the industry is lagging behind the possibilities in the
implementation of technology. The knowledge on these systems is not widely spread but they will
make the difference between operating a “leading” property (on every level) or being part of “the
rest”. In the 21st Century, the guests can no longer be confronted with shabby, dirty, worn-out,
poorly designed menus, which are not up-to-date and often contain manual corrections. The same
applies for various flyers, room directories and other anachronistic guest-information. In addition
to the fact that the guest information is crucial for guest experience and satisfaction, COVID19
forces us to provide this information in such a way that there are no health risks for those reading
and touching it.

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com

 Innovative and efficient marketing
Hotel Marketing (=NOT sales!) is often done according to the TTWWADI-concept (That’s The Way
We Always Did/do It”) thus ignoring that there have been massive changes in the media and
behavior of the target groups.

Traditional media are -nearly- dead or are only surviving in an

adapted version (e.g. newspapers and magazines are read online /
electronic billboards & screens).

Effective marketing is NOT about being all over the place but being
where your target group is (unless you have a massive budget and
it is about prestige and not ROI).

Marketing is not “one size fits all” but should be tailored

and personalized to your target group or even to your
specific guest (through CRM -> see “Digitalization”).

Marketing is not about showing how good and beautiful

your product is but “telling the story” how your guests will
enjoy and benefit from it.

Use pictures that tell a story within a split-second (cars passing at 60-100 Km/H!) and use short and
captivating video whenever possible.

Marketing is not about “shouting out” but about listening, creating engagement and building
relationships.

Marketing has massively shifted towards digital channels with a strong focus on Social Media, such
as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Youtube. Digital marketing is very (cost-) effective but
requires a clear mind-shift and strategy -per Target
Group! Digital and especially Social Media
Marketing only works if there is a clear
commitment and consistency in message and
frequency and the content is focused on
engagement and not just on reach (=number of
views or followers).

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com

 Let’s join hands and create an innovative hotel/resort with a real
contemporary African identity!

I am a passionate hospitality and tourism manager with a great love for Africa but also a creative
and photographer. During more than 20 years I have developed a vision of a medium size property
that has a truly African identity and would be operated in a highly efficient way, using digitalization
to optimize guest experience. It would most likely have space efficient rooms but larger common
spaces where guests could relax, work, meet and mingle.

It would incorporate:

· Artifacts representing the fascinating local culture and history

in a modern context.
· Modern art installations made from local items, such as canoes,
driftwood etc.
· Use of the latest technologies to manage operations,
personalize and optimize service focused on “instant” contact
and gratification
· Provide “real” experiences and possibilities to indulge directly
in local culture and lifestyle
· Use of local materials, such as bamboo mats, mud walls, zinc
etc. in a “modern” way (though mostly decorative) and the stunning colorful fabrics, such as
“Ankara” or “Lappa”
· Creative photography the real life and beauty of the country. Check http://bit.ly/IG-RS
· “Real” Modern Art from local artists and “platform” for various art-forms, including
performing arts to support local culture
· Great involvement and interaction with local communities and entrepreneurs to maximize
impact on local economy and society.

It would be only logical to include as much other

local content as possible in all areas and work with
surrounding local communities, despite the
challenges this may bring. This will also be
recognized and appreciated by African and foreign
guests alike. he truly African character will appeal
to many Africans who are increasingly self-
confident about their identity but also to foreign
visitors who want to experience something real
from their destination, instead of the “generic”
hotel experience.

This brings many opportunities to be in-sync with

society and it will have positive effect on the
business

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com

 As a visionary African Hotel investor/owner or brand
you can benefit from my experience (20+ years Africa
/ 8 pre-openings) and creativity. My expertise, besides
pre-opening & operational management, ranges from
creating & optimizing hotel lay-outs, project
management and, partially in cooperation with
interior designers, local artists, communities and
craftsmen, the ability to create an African hotel.

Contact me if you want to create a truly African

contemporary hotel (or know someone who would)
and I will support as consultant and project manager.
We can start with a blank sheet / empty plot or
convert an existing property. Subsequent pre-opening
and international standard operational management
can also be provided. Let’s set a new standard and
show Africans and the world that they can be proud of
their country, culture and heritage and enjoy a unique
modern African hotel.

Ronald Stilting

21H Hospitality & Tourism Consultancy

ronaldstilting@gmail.com

Ronald Stilting RonaldStilting@gmail.com