1. As a trained pharmacist how did you get into the hospitality and construction industry?
I was born and raised in Mombasa then I studied and practiced pharmacy in Canada and the UK for close to a decade.
When I came back my family was already in the hardware business. I became a developer by default, since I come from a family with several generations of builders.
When you trace our bloodline back to India you will find we come from contractors. It’s sort of in my blood.
2. What do you love most about Kenya?
I’m second-generation Kenyan and my children are born here so we are now three generations. I love Kenya as my home.
Having lived overseas and travelled the world, I’ve seen that nothing compares to what we have here. We often take our unique environment for granted — we have everything, from the sea, to the snow-capped mountains, the desert and savannah.
We are also blessed because we don’t get any of these calamities like hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis. The ocean never bothers us. Where else in the world can you get all of this in one place?
3. How have you sought to bring the beauty of Kenya to the world?
Kenyan people are by far the biggest asset we have. Kenyan hospitality is unique. That is what we need to sell to the world.
I have run my resort for almost two decades now and spoken to a lot of holidaymakers. When asked, “How was your stay?” they always respond, “Your people are wonderful. That’s what touched us — the warmth of the Kenyan people.” I have seen tears in their eyes when they talk about it.
Kenya Tourist Board once had an ad campaign called “Jambo Kenya,” and it was about the people. That is Kenya, first and foremost — not our beaches, not our wildlife. If we harness the natural hospitality that is a part and parcel of our Kenyan culture, the guests will keep coming back.
4. What kind of training does your staff undergo in order to maintain high service standards and morale?
As a hotel we have won many awards because of our staff. I tell my staff that this is their home.
They are the ones here much more than me so they need to feel at home. I also emphasize to them that we are blessed when anyone walks through that door so we should treat them as though they knocked on our own doors as our personal guests. I emphasize that all our guests are special.
Also it is vital to treat your staff with dignity: empower them to make decisions and let them feel comfortable.
You cannot expect great service if they feel they are not being properly compensated. The very thought of expecting that is obscene.
5. What is your take on the reliance of Kenya’s tourism sector to foreign visitors?
We have relied too heavily on the foreign market in the past which of course has impacted us negatively.
It seems every time Kenya sneezes the world catches a cold. When the Arab spring uprisings took place in Cairo, Egypt still enjoyed plenty of tourism — same with South Africa despite their ups and downs.
But whenever something happens in Kenya, the world seems to get into a big panic. But as far as local tourism goes the dynamics are there and we have an emerging middle class with a lot more spending power so it is very positive.
The industry just has to be ready to embrace that market and facilitate it.
6. How do you foresee that happening?
Well the public and private sector don’t always work together. Our tourism industry is mainly driven by the private sector and the government generally does very little.
If we look at Dubai as an example, all they have is sand. Yet the government put in the infrastructure and the money to make it into a tourism destination, and the private sector followed.
Our government needs to play a much more significant role in Kenyan tourism.
7 . How do you promote sustainable practices for the environment and for the community around your resort?
Well, conserving precious resources such as water and electricity is something we all can improve on in Kenya. All you can do is lead by example. We started at Pinewood in the 1990s.
We are probably the only commercial property that has a comprehensive rainwater harvesting system. We do not have any city water or government water here so we are completely self-sufficient using two wells and a rainwater catchment system. We make sure nothing is wasted.
8. Why would you rank customer service as the key to any establishment’s success?
People will not remember what you said to them, what they ate, or even what the place looked like. But they will remember how you made them feel. That is something genuine that you cannot fake. I’ve been to 5, 6, 7 star hotels around the world and I’ve never felt acknowledged.
As soon as I check in, they give me my key and my room number and a porter to carry my bags. At Pinewood, no porter will take you to your room. You walk in and your name is on the board welcoming you, and a manager will personally escort you to your room.
In my opinion, a guest is not a number — a guest is a person with a name, so we are keen to acknowledge that.
9. What advice would you give to those currently training for a career in the hotel industry?
My primary requirement is personality. If they fail the personality test I don’t care about their qualifications. That is how I run my hospitality business — they must be naturally hospitable people.
They should also be proud to be associated with us, not of the attitude that this is “just another job.”
If I had to choose between a group of candidates would prefer to hire the least-qualified person with a great personality, rather than the highly qualified one with no personality.
10. Where do you see Mombasa’s hospitality industry heading in the next few years, and that of Kenya as a whole?
I have a lot of confidence in Kenya. I have always wanted to show the world where Africa can go. I truly believe that in the next five years Kenya will be the beacon of Africa. My latest development is geared towards drawing a very special high-calibre type of tourist to Kenya.
This project has already been recognized for fulfilling vision 2030’s tenets so that is very encouraging. My goal is to do my part to put Kenya on the map in an unprecedented way.
