Hotel classification systems are widely used in the accommodation sector as a means of providing an indicator to both consumers and intermediaries on the standards to be found at individual establishments. This is particularly important in a sector where the product or the accommodation is bought/listed sight-unseen. That means consumers/intermediaries are not able to see or test the product offering before the purchase. Moreover, hotel classifications can provide useful marketing platforms for individual hotels and for destinations wishing to promote the quality of their offer.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO), the hotel classification based on star rating will have immense benefits. Providing comparable information through easily communicable symbols and serving as justification for rates, classification of hotels also provides hotels with a benchmarking tool which in turn can help them to prioritize investments.
In this regard, the Ethiopian government has made various progresses to standardize hotels and improve their rating through providing various incentives and practical supports.
In relation to this, recently, the Addis Ababa Hotel Owners Association stated that it is working to improve hotel service provision in the country through upgrading service providers’ competency. The Association, affirming the presence of some gaps with respect to skilled human capital in the hotel service sector, said that it is enhancing partnership with stakeholders to close the observed gaps.
Speaking to The Ethiopian Herald, Association’s President, Aster Solomon stated that given the growth of star hotels in the capital, it is critical to boost collaboration to provide efficient services.
Hence, the Association established partnership with private job training institutions, NGOs and TVET centers to bring about tangible impact in the training of hotel service providers’ training. She also indicated that preparations are underway to submit research works to a training institution that contains a sound project to be implemented on the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) scheme.
She added: “We are mainly focusing on training and awareness creation interventions hand in hand with hotel owners and their staff and management entities about service delivery, safety among others. Similarly, we regularly provide short refreshment training and gather feedback to further improve the training,” she noted.
Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the conflict in the northern part of the country, the hotels had been seriously impacted; however the government has taken various measures such as providing soft loans, suggesting packages that promote domestic tourism, she stressed. What is more, foreign currency scarcity to import food related products and inflation are the main constraints in the sector, she added.
On the other hand, the Ministry of Tourism is working to increase the number of international standardized hotels in the country. Following this, numerous standardized hotels are joining the accommodation sector. Addis Ababa, the African capital also deserves more standardized hotels that provide state of the art services to its customers.
Currently, more than thousands of hotels are given star ratings in the country that sought to contribute its part to motivate tourist inflow to the country. Availing quality tourist services throughout the country is possible where top rated accommodation services providers are available. To ensure the nation’s tourism industry, improvement is expected to succeed through continuous training, monitoring and supervision to the sector practitioners and tourist serving organizations.
The ministry is also providing various training to local hotel standard grading professionals comprised from the federal, all states and the two city administrations on sustainability and hotel maintenance. The trainees are offered both theoretical and practical training before giving the actual rating to the hotels.
In the past, the country’s hotel standard star grading was given by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). However, starting from 2015, the trainees of the ministry have been giving the ratings to facilitate the nation’s hotel standardization in the future. Those trainees have also worked with international experts before to improve their capacity.
Tourism Trainer and Lesotho Accommodation Quality Star Grading Program Team Leader James Macgragor told The Ethiopian Herald that delivering quality tourist services, service quality management in tourism, measuring quality of hospitality services as well as sustainability and maintenance of the hotel industry are the core areas of the training to the hotel rating professionals.
In doing so, the trainees contribute in scaling up best experiences and practicing the sector with skilled human power value to fulfill the hotel industry standard, he said.
According to him, good customer service, sustainable peace and infrastructural development are fundamental in the tourism industry.
Moreover, the hotels’ rating will add impetus to the country to render international standardized and competitive touristic service.
The hotels’ rating was given by overseas professionals in 2015 but now local professionals will undertake the rating. The rating also strengthens hotels for a competitive service, he added.
Working in the standards of the world touristic service rendering institutions and meeting the luxurious demand of tourists said central to compete in the tourism sector. Having such a successful and timely hotel rating will encourage hoteliers for a competitive and quality service.
Accordingly, the new hotels will be offered stars rating upon the World Tourism Organization standardization and the rating is helpful to function in accordant to the set ideals.
The experts underscored that sustainability and hotel management are the core values that hotel investors should uphold. Such sector training are the base to insist hotel owners in the country to do more regarding quality service provision and guaranteeing environmental sustainability.
In sum, environmentally responsible tourism-travel conserves and enhances environmental safety. Waste management and recycling, supporting cultural heritages conservation and community based activities, sustaining the social, cultural and financial well-being of local residents, small businesses and communities are the manifestation of sustainable tourism. Currently, the tourism sector global economic contribution advancement, having internationally competitive professionals and strategies, are necessary to utilize the smokeless industry’s gift.
BY TEWODROS KASSA
The Ethiopian Herald July 14/2023
