An Interracive Session Between the General Manager of Imo Concorde Hotel Eziada Ngozi Nwaizu and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Enlightenment, Prince Eze Ugochukwu
*Question*: There is need to meet with standards in terms of renovations and services. What are you doing to meet up with acceptable first class standards?
*Answer*: I would love to let you know that when I assumed office on the 1st of February 2021, I met only 23 functional rooms out of the 219 rooms that we have. But today I can assure you that we have 106 rooms functional. I have been able to fix up 83 rooms. When I came, I gave myself target that every month I must be able to fix up to at least 10 to 15 rooms. Because of this, I got my maintenance team around and asked them to do a thorough check on all the floors to take note of the non-functional rooms and to suggest what should be done on them to be functional. As you know our 3R government is all about rehabilitation, reconstruction and recovery. So I keyed into the vision of the government by starting with some rehabilitation work in the hotel.
Moving forward, when we came, the swimming pool was non-functional, so I made sure that it started functioning very well right now. We also have the water cistern, that was very poor when I came; there was a big issue with the water when the hotel management was handed over to me, so I felt that a big target for me was to fix it otherwise patronage will decline and will become a disaster
*Question*: What are the unique selling points of Concorde Hotel?
*Answer*: Remember, Concorde hotel is a five star hotel and is situated in the heart of the city. We have a whole lot of hotels in our surroundings, but Concorde Hotel remains the best in terms of hospitality services and maintenance.
*Question*: Do you have any feedback mechanism to know what the people are saying.
*Answer*: To buttress more on this, I'll start by telling you that I love feedback, it matters to me a lot because with feedback you can be able to know what the customer wants aside what is already a standard. I try to make sure that we have good water, good power supply and professional services, I try as much as possible to know what truly the customer wants. I pull up the weakness and x-ray them most times. I call my staff during meetings for them to tell me what customers have complained about and possibly their suggestions. One thing again is that when customers walk in, they go out and talk about their experience, and remember family and friends and people in general, rely basically on what they hear. So if the services that we discharge here is of excellence, then when they go out there and are able to talk of good things about Concorde, it brings joy. So my selling point is to make sure that all the services I am giving are of good standard. In all, customer feedback matters a lot to me.
*Question*: What are your accounting methods and how do you track earnings and expenditure?
*Answer*: What I do, is that from when I resumed office, I discovered that the audit system or the audit team were not incorporated in most of the financial activities and operations that were done. So I made sure that I incorporated the auditors into every expenditure and things that has to do with money which goes on in this establishment. Now, the audit team are involved such that any thing that has to be signed, the audit team, will have to go through it to know if it is needed and to make sure that the figure that has been given there is what it is in the market such that nothing is added.
To help the auditors out, a purchaser also goes into the market to find out exactly the prize of the products. Our vendors for the supply of products is quite competitive. We have internal auditors as part of my management team, and we have external auditors as well but at the end of the day we outsourced everything auditing to an external auditor to make sure that the system is correct.
Things are scrutinized here before they come to my table. At the end of every month I always ask the accounting departments to submit every audited financial records for that month because I gave them the grace of the 5th of every month. At this point I look into what has been spent and anywhere there is huge expenditure, I tried to ask questions to get clarification. If it is a one-off expenditure such as fixing things then it is fine, but if it is something that will become continuous then I will frown at it and suggest for ways by which we can cut down on the expenditure.
*Question*: How are you marketing the Hotel in line with the digital age?
*Answer*: Looking at my background, I have spent close to 26 years in the Western world. I was once a TV presenter, so social media is my thing and I love it so much. Most of the advert here, I do them myself because I know the importance of marketing especially the business of hospitality and how to convince the members of the public, attract customers, guests across the world and convincing them to patronize the state's five star hotel. I do a lot of social media work and also in order to do more of marketing I had to print the catalogue for marketing purposes so we'll visit some of the companies and once we go to the companies we leave our catalogue with them which goes to tell them of some of the things we do.
*Question*: Are you in touch with some of the airlines flying into Imo State such that you can place your catalog on the airlines for more visibility and patronage?
*Answer*: This is part of what I have in mind. As you can see here, we have now printed our catalogues. The airlines are our target, plus the distribution of billboard in all the strategic points in the city. We also have plans of approaching some of the companies, especially the breweries to patronize the hotel and also use our halls for their seminar venues. I had to get a brochure to contain all offer, and I have called my marketing team for us to swing into action.
*Question*: You have very beautiful conference halls and a beautiful environment for seminars. You have talked about meeting companies - Do you talk to them to use your hotel for seminars and workshops?
*Answer*: Yes of course. I have involved quite a number of corporate organisations to patronize the conference halls. We have the big boardroom, the Owerri hall and the Sam Mbakwe hall.
*Question*: What about Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government. Are you also interfacing with them so that they can bring their own programs here?
*Answer*: Yes. I remembered when I spoke at the expanded exco meeting, I pleaded with the Governor, to ask other people to patronize Concorde Hotel and this has been done and a lot of patronage has been coming in.
*Question*: How good is your kitchen and what are they offering in terms of cuisine?
*Answer*: Our kitchen is awesome. We have the best food you can think of. We have the best chef and our food is spotless both local and international dishes. When I came I revived the buffet system so we have a buffet system that works and works very well for our customers.
*Question*: What about the Concorde Village. What do you offer to customers and non lodging customers alike?
*Answer*: I love Concord Village so much because it makes you to enjoy cool and soft music with cool breeze. On Sundays, we try to involve life bands such that when people hear sounds, they will ask if it is truly coming from Concorde Hotel. From my research, people like that we offer on Sundays.
The Concorde Village is a home away from home. At Concorde village we offer barbeque chicken, barbecue fish alongside beautiful local dishes.
*Question*: You have a comedy show coming up. Are you hosting it at the Concorde Village?
*Answer*: Not at all. The comedy show will be at Sam Mbakwe Hall. It is going to be one of the biggest events for me, because we have involved a whole lot of A- list comedians to come in and pull out the stress of all Imolites and by the special grace of God, His Excellency, will be here. Concorde Hotel will be managing the event and I have reached out to some companies and organisations for support. It is a ticketed event.
*Question*: Looking at the bad narrative about some hotel locations in owerri concerning drug abuse and prostitution etc. What are you doing to curtail these around your premises and environment?
*Answer*: We actually have law enforcement agencies and signage that is put up in strategic places of the hotel, like non-smoking and smoking designated areas. Now, Concorde Hotel being a 5-star hotel, we warn people not to loiter around the hotel because this is a classy hotel and then the lifestyle of ladies loitering around the hotel especially in the night is not to be seen around here as I frowned at it. So with this restriction my security team are always working out to make sure that there is no loitering around the hotel premises.
*Question*: What about your room prices, are they competitive enough?
*Answer*: The room prices are quite competitive and I can assure you that Concorde Hotel remains the best in terms of price rate. We still remain the best in terms of deals concerning room and hall rates for events.
*Question*: What is your message to your customers especially those that are scattered all over the world?
*Answer*: I would love to use this opportunity to thank the Special Adviser on Public Enlightenment and his team, for coming here to interview me and mostly I will love to thank the Executive Governor of Imo State. I was quiet a bit depressed when things were going the wrong way few weeks back in Imo State as a result of the unknown gunmen, but I had a very strong belief and knowing fully well, the type of person he is, my fear diminished. He is a man that knows his onions. I thank him so much for bringing back peace in the state, by controlling the insecurity and winning back the hearts of the people. I want to thank Imo people in a special way for supporting the Governor in his vision and I want to let you all know that the Governor has a lot for us. If we give him the support he needs, as he will do a lot for our dear state.
Publisher: Don Martyn L.O Nwosu
Ikeduru APC Media Hub
08032950897
Ikeduruapcmediahub@gmail.com
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