Positive attitude necessary in hospitality industry - Official

Mr. Neequaye Sasraku, Deputy Director in-charge of Studies at the Hotel Catering and Tourism Training Institute (HOTCATT) on Saturday observed that the hospitality industry had problems with quality service delivery and urged operators to adopt a positive attitude when dealing with their clients.

"Attitude is key to providing quality services in the hospitality industry," he said at the end of a training programme for 93 personnel in the hotel industry.

The training programme, aimed at addressing attitudinal problems in the hospitality industry brought together front office staff, food and beverage staff, housekeeping staff and other operators in the hotel and restaurant sector.

Mr Sasraku said the training programme instituted by the sector ministry in collaboration with the Ghana Tourist Board and HOTCATT had become necessary ahead of the CAN 2008 tournament to enhance service delivery during the period and after.

He explained that the training programme, which was in phases was first targeting areas where the stadia were being built and then would be extended to the whole country in due time.

"In all, we are expecting to training about 900 people in the hospitality industry," he said and expressed hope that at the end of the whole programme there would be improvement in service delivery.

Mr. Charles Osei-Bonsu, Deputy Executive Director in-charge of Finance and Administration at the Ghana Tourist Board, said the Board would start monitoring activities of hotel operators to ensure high standards and quality service.

He said staff of the board would pay unannounced visits to hotels and other hospitality facilities to assess if they were operating according to standards.

Where the operators were not doing well, GTB would invite them and advise them accordingly.

"We will also bridge the communication gap between the GTB and hotel operators by occasionally sending information about arrivals, tourists' comments and many others to enable operators to know what was happening in the industry at any point in time."

Mr. Osei-Bonsu noted that hotel management was about practice, competency and skills saying, "theory without practice is empty, and practice without theory is blind".

He said the tourism industry in Ghana was growing in an environment where there was peace, democracy and stable government and urged them not to take things for granted.

Source: GNA