‘We want to put Africa on the global landscape in terms of hotel offering, and service standard’
With Noom, Seen and Yaas, its three innovative brands, the Mangalis Hotel Group, a pan-African hospitality company, is setting a benchmark for innovation, quality service and healthy growth in hospitality business on the continent. In this interview, Wesam Okasha, Group Business Development Director of the hotel group, speaks to Obinna Emelike on the group’s commitment to African hospitality development, its innovative product offerings, service, expansion plans among other related issues.
As an African brand, how rooted is the Mangalis Hotel Group are you in Africa when your headquarters is in Barcelona Spain as growing middle class Africans are beginning to patronize pan-African brands as part of African renaissance?
Mangalis Hotel Group is the hospitality division of Teyliom Group, a multi-industry African company. Our roots are African and our hotels are based on the continent. The hotel division headquarter is in Barcelona due to the city role of international hub for innovation and the concentration of the leading suppliers in hospitality (furniture fixtures &equipment, architects, enginery among others).
The geographic position of Barcelona is also practical for logistic reasons to get shipment to Africa. As we expand, we will make one of the African capitals most likely Abidjan or Dakarour a regional hub. These two cities will have number of properties including our flagship property in Abidjan also home to our parent company. By 2020, we will operate 13 properties, over 1900 rooms in West Africa.
You mentioned fostering culture of innovation and growth as one of your core areas, what innovations have you brought to African hospitality landscape since your debut in 2012?
Well the African hospitality landscape is often referred to as ageing with some hotels operating for over decades. As you would appreciate in the last few years the requirements of travellers have significantly evolved. They want personalisation, local touch, digital experience in other words bespoke experience where they could feel home away from home. It is almost like having their lifestyle carried with them when they travel for either business or leisure. Our hotels bring these elements of freshness in the rooms and communal areas design and style example, public spaces are fluid open space adapted for work and relaxation, where travellers can connect easily and have flawless digital experience. They can remain connected anywhere and place in the hotel.
From Noom, Seen and Yaas, your product segmentation is clear, but how has the African market responded to your offering, can you say the Mangalis brand is well-received in Africa?
We have unveiled our upscale brand Noom Hotels in Conakry just a year ago followed by the Yaas Hotels the economy lifestyle brand in Dakar in December 2016 and more recently Seen Hotels band in Abidjan. The hotels are very successful in their respective markets. Noom Hotel has become the place to be in Conakry for its innovative design, and offering (brunch, after work gatherings to the sounds of our in-house DJ, concerts of top African bands, business TV show shooting spots etc…).Yaas carries this very optimistic design combined with technology which makes it a very popular hotel in Dakar today and so does Seen in Abidjan bustling business district. Judging by our ranking on travel review sites, and overall hotel performance, it seems that our vision was right.
The fact that we offer three distinctive brands targeting three distinctive segments of clientele contributes to their success. Guests book the product they associate with from comfort, style and price perspectives.
Most foreign guests think African hotels are overpriced, do you think so, and what are you doing to correct the impression since you are pan-African?
Obviously at a time when travellers and more particularly business travellers pay more attention to their travel budgets and expenditure, it is important that countries offer products that are positioned correctly from price and standard points. Our three brands with their different price range help address this issue.
I can appreciate travellers’ frustration, when feeling “ripped off” and not benefiting a product or service that justifies the price. When we get enough supply on the continent or shall I say when the product quality matches the price, the perception will certainly change.
Our aim is to have the three brands in each market so guest can choose according to their buying power
How prepared are you to scramble for your share of guests, especially among established local brands in countries you are operating and the foreign ones with all the networks?
The region is still under supplied, the cake so to say, is big enough. There is still room for everyone to have its fair share in the upscale, midscale and economy segments.
Clients will choose brands they identify with naturally. But of course, this is not to say that we do not market ourselves, we obviously promote the hotels to raise brand awareness, clients must know what choices are available to them so they can choose accordingly.
Your operation seems to be more in the French speaking African countries, why and when are you expanding to English speaking and the rest of Africa, especially Nigeria, South Africa and Egypt, the three biggest economies in Africa?
You know, the hospitality business is very complex, the investment is very heavy. Market knowledge is undeniably essential to build and run a hotel. We strategically chose to start in our current locations for several reasons among which the fact that these markets are very well known to parent’s company. Although every market has its challenge, some are more complex than others. We are opened to opportunities, especially in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa where we are in talk with some potential partners but at the end of the day, to be the right opportunity to sustain a healthy growth and support rapid ROI.
What does the 207 hotels in the pipeline with over 40, 000 rooms in Africa mean for African hospitality, will it gender healthy rivalry or run some out of business?
Well…majority of capitals and secondary cities are still undersupplied in terms of branded hotels with international standards –so it goes without saying that Africa needs hotels. The population is growing over 2billions by 2050 according to the statistics…. so, 207 hotels in the pipeline mean firstly, more places to address the demand.
Naturally some hotels would need to reinvent themselves to compete with the new comers. Beside the design and service quality, the safety aspect is an element that cannot be undermined, so unless hoteliers are aware and address of these realities, some might indeed face serious challenges.
Beyond that, local authorities need to continuously promote the destinations and help with the availability of qualified workforce by providing adequate and up to date learning environment. Tourism& hospitality are great job creators, recognised as engine for economic development so with the support of the governments to encourage the entrance of more players, the impact can only be beneficial to all.
We have seen that some local groups have recently been bought by international ones which obviously affect their stand as regional player. Can you assure that Africans will trust you to remain African brand after riding on its sustained patronage to grow your portfolio in Africa and globally?
Our ambition is to be the benchmark of the African hospitality in Africa and beyond. We want to put Africa on the global landscape in terms of hotel offering, and service standard we therefore have no ambition in being under the umbrella of another group.