Group Managing Director, Gloniks Hotels, Mr. Inox Bradford, has received several awards in Hotel Management. Speaking on the challenges of the hospitality sector, he said heavy taxation, lack of electricity and poor perception are affecting business negatively.
TNE: Tell us about your journey in the hospitality industry?
I started from the grassroots and by providence; I was able to move up to the top. The top has not been that easy. But in every corporate organization, you have to be a good swimmer. I married hospitality with tourism. Having carved a very big niche for myself and for the companies I represented, I was able to add tourism. That is one of the business hotbeds in Nigeria, even though it has remained untapped.
That is one area the government has not paid serious attention to. If you look at the big economies of the world today, for instance, the United Arab Emirates, they have been able to tap with full force, their tourism potentials.
TNE: In your opinion, what do you think could be done to improve tourism in Nigeria?
One is for the government to provide intervention fund for the sector. Government should empower some of the biggest players. The sector has been taken over by people who know little or nothing about tourism. It is for them to do away with none players and look at the actual players. Government should also put up a roadmap for people to follow. We need to be organized.
TNE: What are the bottle necks? Past administrations have promised to breathe new life to the sector but failed. What do you think is responsible?
There is lack of political will on the part of government and like I said the sector is being dominated by none players.
TNE cuts in: What do you mean by none players? Are you saying those in charge are incompetent?
Yes they are. You cannot put a square peg in a round hole. You know in almost every position in Nigeria today, people are being appointed based on political affiliations. People are appointed based on one sentiment or the other. They are not looking at competence. They are not looking at the core professional need of that sector. It is like bringing in a fisherman to become the head of the petroleum industry. It would not work. It is all about us looking at the big players in the sector who will be able to sit down and create a curricular or a roadmap for the government.
If the government does not have a vision about it, there are people who should be saddled with the responsibility of doing that. Then I think the biggest problem is that we misconstrue hospitality with tourism. When someone talks about tourism, many people think it is all about hotels alone. No! There is more to it.
TNE cuts in: Can you expatiate on that?
We have quite a lot of heritage sites in Nigeria. Tourist attractions. Let us take Cross Rivers, for instance. Every year they are able to attract thousands and millions of people from all over the world. It is called destination Calabar. Why can’t the government wake up one morning and create destination Nigeria and package what people want to see. We have a lot of things to showcase but we don’t have the right attitude towards it.
TNE: Some people would argue that infrastructure is a problem and that without the right environment; people would not be attracted to Nigeria to know of the tourism potentials.
It goes beyond infrastructure. It is not about the environment alone. It is about us not having anything to show case. You cannot showcase what you do not have. You can only showcase what you have developed over the years for people to come and know what it is all about. Like I said earlier, we have quite a lot of heritage sites in Nigeria. We have many of them. These are places that we are supposed to package and showcase to the world. We need to talk about security. If the government has the political will, most of these places, tour guides are there. We have security agents who would be able to guard tourists to their various destinations. I don’t think security is a problem and it can never be a problem.
TNE: There are negative reports that are being heard about Nigeria in foreign countries. For instance, the herdsmen invasions and the Boko Haram menace. Don’t you think this is a problem for tourism in Nigeria?
What you have raised is true. But that is why we have the information ministry. If you don’t praise yourself, no one will praise you. How many times has the government written a rebuttal to most of these negative reports about Nigeria? If you don’t refute a statement, it will be credited to you.
The information management in Nigeria has been very poor because if someone should abuse my country that it is underdeveloped, I would refute and say I am not what you think I am. So it is all about the government informing the world properly.
TNE: Can you talk about the hotel you manage (Gloink hotel)? There are so many branches today. How did it start and what has kept it going?
I picked it from ground zero. We have been able to look at the core needs of our customers. It is all about what they want. So we go the extra mile to make them comfortable.
TNE: What keeps it booming?
We have a very good team. It has been the foundational magnet that we have instituted over the time. What is it all about? It is providing affordable services to our teeming customers. As it is, it is not even enough. That is why we keep expanding. We will continue to expand because that is the core vision of the owners. Glonik has continued to grow and will continue to grow. We have received many awards, locally and internationally. It is the kind of service that we are providing that has attracted the world to us.
TNE: What are some of the challenges hotel managers go through in a country like Nigeria? For instance, how do you cope with lack of constant electricity supply?
Some of the challenges of the hospitality industry, Lagos, for instance, has to do with the heavy tax from the Lagos State Government. Energy source is another huge challenge. Energy has been a terrible factor. You cannot run a big hotel without making available energy 24 hours a day and seven days a week. For you to provide that service, you have to go down below the belt. You just have to make that sacrifice to keep the hotel going. Poor perception of the hotel business is also a problem. People who are ill-informed say negative things about hotels.
TNE: Negative things like what?
Some people think hotels are for men and their girlfriends. No. Responsible men and women lodge in hotels. Couples lodge in hotels. People cannot do without hotels around the world. Wherever you travel to, hotels are there for your accommodation.
TNE: Is the taxation from the government responsible for the hike in prices of drinks and hotel accommodations in Lagos?
It contributes to it. When government decides to add more on Value Added Tax (VAT) and consumption tariffs, the customer has to pay more. Sometimes we go out of our way to make sure that we don’t increase too much. But we don’t have a choice. We have to make profit. If we do not increase prices of things in the hotel, others will do.
TNE: What advice will you give to those who aspire to run hotels in the future?
Bradford: I truly want to say that location matters. Sometimes people want to build a hotel where it is not supposed to be. My advice is: before you step into this business, look for a nice location, especially busy environments. Also, look for competent hands to help you manage your hotel if you don’t have time to do it yourself. Like I said, this sector has been taken over by mediocre. When mediocrity steps in, you cannot make anything out of this business. Make sure you conquer mediocrity. And then setup a bubbly managerial team who understands the business. This business is very simple. It is all about having a space in a nice environment with the right team to help you out. Once that is done, you are good to go.
