Starring Hospitality

Addis Fortune (Addis Ababa)

Workineh Zewdie

10 July 2011

The Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT) is evaluating the hospitality sector using a star-based system, with the intention of improving standards and providing consistency. Hoteliers, meanwhile, raise concern about evaluation process and the limitations of hospitality schools.

Yetawesegn Mesganaw, head of Finance and Administration at Concorde Hotel, located on Sierra Leone Street, in front of Lancia, is very confident that his hotel will secure a four-star hotel rating, based on the new hotel grading requirements launched by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism (MoCT).

“We saw the standards set by the ministry for each category and we expect to get the four-star rating,” claimed Yetawesegn.

However the decision on the star rating is not left for the hotels decide, rather it falls under the MoCT, which licenses and supervises establishments of tourist facilities such as hotels and eateries, and sets the standards for them.

The study for the new rating standard which applies to hotels, restaurants, lodges and motels was launched during the 2009/10 fiscal year.

Since then, the ministry has been conducting the evaluation, which began on June 13 and was concluded on July 7, 2011. The rating, which puts the existing hotels, restaurants, lodges and motels in different categories, is based on the internationally recognised star system.

“The ministry expects to designate standards for around 350 hotels, 40 lodges, five motels and thousands of restaurants. After the evaluation is done, the ministry will announce the results soon,” said Sisay Teklu, senior expert for Tourism Service and Quality Accreditation at MoCT.

Hotels are to be classified into seven classifications, according to the new rating system; namely, basic hotels, one-star, two-star, three-star, four-star, five-star and five-star-deluxe. Restaurants, lodges and motels would be classified in six categories (not including five-star deluxe). Similar classifications are going to be rendered like hotel ranking.

During evaluations, the external and internal structure of the hotel building shall be assessed, including their human resources and other facilities.

The general manager of a five-star hotel should hold a first degree in hotel management from an accredited institution and should have at least eight years of working experience, according to the requirements.

However, stakeholders in the sector are not comfortable with this requirements.  The country does not have enough professionals in the sector, and the hospitality schools are not capable of producing the required level of competence, claimed Gedamu Genet, an expert in the industry.

This concern is also shared by Ataklti Gebru, general manager of Queen of Sheba Hotel, located on Haile Gebreselassie Street in Yeka District.

“There are not enough hotel training centres to develop human resources in the country. In addition, it is difficult to procure the necessary equipment for the hotel sector from the local market,” claimed Ataklti.

“The capacity of the evaluators is also questionable since they are young graduates who do not have enough experience in the industry,” emphasised Ataklti.

The ministry, however, does not agree with this criticism.

“The evaluators are a mix of professionals, including recent graduates and professionals with many years of experience,” argues Sisay.

“The new standard will also solve the problem of professional recruitment procedures in the sector. This sector is predominantly administered through relationships rather than knowledge and experience,” he added.

In addition to the buildings’ structural standards criteria, various facilities, such as rooms, lobbyies, receptions, shower rooms, bars, laundry facilities, kitchens, and other parts of the hotel, should fulfil the minimum requirements. For example, a four-star hotel must have a variety of services in their guest rooms like internet service, a colour TV with various channels, doors with electronic card keys and other facilities.

Yetaweseg, is sure that his hotel will fulfil all the requirements set by the evaluation document.

“The requirements in the document can be seen as essential for a hotel service provider and we are supposed to be ranked according to what we deserve,” he added.

Though the past rating of hotels, restaurant, lodges and motels follow similar star systems, like the new one, it was not mandatory for them to have the grade. In the past, hotels used to go to the ministry and request for the grading and would have it granted to them accordingly, but now it is mandatory to be graded.

“The facility requirement at that time is also completely different from the new rating standard since the sector has changed a lot. The new star rating has considered various current technological advancements of the world,” Sisay explained.

Gedamu put his concern in this regard, “There are a lot of hotels that were constructed many years ago. It would become very difficult to evaluate their building structures with the current technological standards.”

A three-star hotel must have enough parking lots, the entrance and exit of the hotel should be constructed with consideration for people with disabilities. The standard also sets other requirements in detail. The Standard also sets other requirements in detail.

Generally, the new grading system is believed to be essential for the sector. Since Addis Abeba is now becoming the major destination of regional and international conferences, the hotel and tourism sector must standardise their service internationally.

Addis Abeba is home of the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and other regional and international organisations.

Even though Ethiopia is one of the major tourist destinations in Africa, there are less than a handful of five-star hotels in Addis Abeba.

The number of rooms in the capital,  was estimated at around 7,927, according to a research by the Overseas Development Institute in 2009. In 2009/10, the hotel and restaurant sector’s contribution to the GDP amounted to 14.5 billion Br where the sector has registered growth of 43.3pc.

Currently, there are new hotels under construction both in Addis Abeba and in the region. They are all going to be graded in accordance with the new star rating system.

Apart from hotels, the ministry has also prepared requirements for grading lodges. But for the time being, the evaluation is conducted mainly on hotels. However, the Southern Region Culture and Tourism Bureau has already conducted the evaluation.

The evaluation has been done in collaboration with the MoCT and has been completed according to Abdi Tena, supervision and training expert of the Southern Regional State’s Culture and Tourism Bureau, Before this, we used to categorise the sector according to higher, medium and basic accommodation. But now, the new grading system will sort them according to the new international star standard.

Paradise ArbaMinch Lodge is one of the few lodges that expects to receive a four star rating after the conclusion of a recent expansion project worth 56 million Br.

“We have fulfilled more than what is required in regard to the standards and we expect more than four stars if possible,” claimed Degene Woldesemayat, public relations officer at the lodge.

Once the evaluation is completed throughout the country, the results will be announced pending approval from Amin Abdulkadir, Minister of MoCT.

An appeal process for the evaluation has also been instituted where those not satisfied with the grading system can file for an appeal within 30 days.

The new rule also makes it mandatory for hotels to display their MoCT issued certificate with their ranking for customers in a visible location.

Once the evaluation is done, it will apply for the next three years, after which a new assessment would be launched, examining if hotels have progressed or regressed in their standings.

However, for Ataklti, the time period is too long; in consideration of the continuous changes within the hotel sector.

Gedamu does not agree with this complaint. “Since the hotel sector needs big investments in order to upgrade its capacity, the time frame set by the directives is not long at all,” he contends.

“International experience taken from Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Egypt, German and other countries has been incorporated into the study,  while also heeding Ethiopia’s current situation,” assured Sisay.

Research by the Japanese Embassy indicates that tourism is the third biggest foreign currency earner in Ethiopia, next to coffee and oil seeds. In 2009, 230,000 tourists visited Ethiopia a number much lower than those enjoyed  by Egypt, South Africa, Tunisia, Zimbabwe and other African countries.

“Despite the optimism and concerns of the new-star rating system, it would, at the very least, help in standardising the hospitality sector. It would also help meet the needs of tourists and delegates who come to the country attending various conferences,” said Gedamu.

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