Hotels are classified differently. The classification is based on size, number of rooms, levels of service, ownership, affiliation and facilities provided.
Every traveler, upon arrival at his or her destination, looks forward to a nice comfortable room, good shower and comfortable bed. Once you are comfortable, you start looking for other things.
I love travelling, but I am neither a frequent traveler nor an occasional one. I know every region in Ghana and for the past seven years I visit about eight regions to nine regions once every single year.
I also travel outside the country sometimes and when I do that I look forward to staying in nice and comfortable hotels. I know there are standard global hotel ratings and classifications. Forget about them for now. I have my own classifications.
As I travel around, I have come across about five different kinds of hotel. These hotels may be offering their service based on their categorization and ranking. As an average customer, all I want is comfort and good customer service. Some of the hotels are welcoming, some are not.
Others are comfortable whilst others are not. Some have very positive brands but their services do not reflect their brand and “Star” rating.
There are hotels that I call “One night sleep”. These are flophouses or doss houses. Just as some men and women don’t mind a one day affair, operators of such hotels understand that the place is only good for a night, nothing more.
These are hotels that give you somewhere to sleep just for a night. All you get is cheap lodging – there are minimal services. Staying there for more than a night is usually a pain. However because you must sleep somehow you have to accept the place for just a night and if you still need accommodation you look for another hotel the following day. Especially in Ghana, don’t be surprised to find a not-too-clean bathroom with a bucket and pale.
Elsewhere the services could be satisfactory but here in Ghana some are not acceptable and you dare not touch the towels you are given. If you must go to some of these hotels, it’s better to carry your own pillow and bed sheet.
I have also come across a second category of hotels that I call the “Holding room”.
The holding room is usually an upgraded version of the “One night sleep”. These hotels are not comfortable.
However you still have to hold on to it because of lack of other accommodation choices or due to the fact that the one you are really interested in is either fully occupied or not within your reach.
In this case you have to accept that and move into your preferred choice later.
They are not too good but not terrible. In such hotels don’t be surprised to go to breakfast and be told that they are now going to buy bread and eggs in the market. You have no choice.
The next group of hotels I would like to mention is the “comfy” hotels.
They are good and you are confident that anytime you walk in the service will be just fine and quite comfortable for you to enjoy. There are many of such comfortable hotels in Ghana.
One thing I love about South Africa is that their bed and breakfast accommodation works and even when you are accommodated in someone’s house, the standards are very high.
These guest houses or guest rooms within people’s houses are very comfortable and they provide services which are similar to what other highly rated hotels offer.
The fourth type are the highly rated hotels. In Ghana some of these hotels are very good but others are not so good. I just returned from a trip to Kumasi and I was not surprised that many people complained about the hotel we slept in. Though the hotel is supposed to be one of the leading hotels and high rated, the facilities do not reflect their rating.
It was common to find broken bathroom locks in the conference area, spoilt door knobs, cracked sinks, cracked glasses and faulty toilets bowls.
We have a long way to go in the hotel industry.
Notwithstanding, some of the hotels have very high standards and do quite a good job. I can easily mention Royal Senchi because my experiences there have been very enjoyable. I call hotels like The Royal Senchi, “Pamper me”. The hotel environment, the facilities and services are really great and I hope they maintain it. The rooms are what I love best. They are heavenly – so cool and beautifully created. The elevation of the bathroom into what I call a hanging bathroom makes you want to lie in the bathtub all day with some nice juice chilling by the side. The hotel knows how to treat its guests and I hope they keep up the standard.
Senchi may be a luxury hotel but the lesson I would like hotel managers to learn is that no matter the size of your hotel you must keep it comfortable and you must provide good services. Services are services and should not be dependent on ratings. No matter how small or big the hotel is it must follow the basic standards and quality that are commensurate with the hotel rating. Courtesy, friendliness, cleanliness and good planning should not be tied to hotel rankings.
They are basic qualities every hotel must exhibit and hotel operators and managers must exhibit them.
I urge the regulators of the hotel industry to step up their monitoring and enforcement of the quality standards. The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Arts, Ghana Tourist Board and the Hotel and Catering Association must ensure that the hotels deliver on their promises.