MEA Markets African Excellence Awards 2018

MEAMARKETS / 2018 African Excellence Awards 5 Bay Hotel, the other hotel under the group, tend to attract a variety of different clients. On one hand the Karen Boutique hotel, with its nine bedrooms, hosts mostly exclusive guests, expatriates, holiday vacationers and honeymooners complimented with a few social events. The establishment’s clients tend prefer the out of town luxurious experience and the Hotel offers more than lodging. Furthermore, for the business travellers, a conference room is available with stationery and other amenities that accompany it. On the other hand, the Cold Springs Homa Bay hotel, with 68 bedrooms, frequently caters for Business travel and Non- Profit Organisations, which address the problems faced by the surrounding community. The area boasts a wealth of indigenous cultural experiences complimentary to the Ruma National Park. The latter forms the better part of the vacationers hosted by the Hotel. Although operating under the same group, the hotels are renowned to be different, and this is a key reason for the varying clients that each venue attracts. In terms of recreation, the Karen Boutique Hotel possesses a unique shaped pool with a bistro gazebo right in the middle, accompanied by the fitness centre only emit repose. Moreover, the Cold Springs Group of Hotels offer a standardised Menu, but particularly the Karen Boutique Hotel, which is a jungle of flavours with scintillating scents and aesthetic brilliance found in its Fine-Dining Restaurant. Chairman, Jerry Ndong believes that ‘Hospitality is more than a profession, but is a way of life’, and all staff at the hotels adhere to this philosophy, combining their knowledge and expertise to deliver a fantastic experience and ensure that clients have a wonderful time. Jerry explains what methods the team utilises in order to ensure that guests have a memorable stay, and what approach staff use when working with a new client or on a new project which will benefit the Hotel Group, such as deciding the best venues for each hotel. “The key aspect we adopt when starting a project is purpose. We put up the hotels not to cover a market spread for capitalization, but rather to serve the need for quality accommodation in areas designated by clients needing these resources. Not often do you find, in this industry, charity and profitable service coupled, to the great extent of establishing hotels in secluded or not so common areas.” Throughout Africa, the hospitality industry is growing rapidly, and the Cold Springs Group of Hotels is looking to capitalise on this fact. The increasing population across Africa and market availability has seen an influx of tourists and businessmen alike, and Jerry explains how the team have adapted to the constant developments which are arising in the sector and the region of Kenya in particular. “By June 2017 the Hospitality and Tourism sector had grown by almost 17% with demand for accommodation, especially in the capitals and developing cities. This industry varies from country to country based on many macro- economic factors pertaining to each one. “Due to the increasing demand for lodging, the need for qualified personnel is high with the same high-quality standards required by the Tourism sector. As a result, we’ve adopted internal training to create more jobs for the locals who not only benefit from the industry, but add value to the GDP of the country.”