The Akwa Ibom State Government has said that it would continue to train hotel managers as over 2,000 hotels have been registered in the state to ensure the safety of tourists and other customers in the hospitality sector.

Speaking in Uyo on Thursday during a two-day “Hotel Managers Conference 2021” organised by a Lagos based hospitality firm, Tojun Hospitality, Akwa Ibom State, Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Mr. Orman Esin, said training of hotel managers was necessary to ensure safety of Tourists and customers.

He said: “This conference is indeed very timely and I wish to commend the organisers for carefully selecting the theme of the conference as this are critical factors to building of a profile performance work culture and ensuring measurable revenue generation is achieved for the sustenance of the hotel business”

” There is dire need to address the basic tenets of Hotel Sales which is key to ensuring efficient management and sustainability of the Hotel as well as introduce new innovation to ensure that best and standards in our hotels are kept.”

Esin charged participants at the conference to establish a feedback mechanism for development and improvement of hotels and their operations in Nigeria, while government will establish regulations that will curb substandard service delivery and non-professionalism.

Delivering a Goodwill Message to the participants at the conference, the Chairman of Akwa Ibom State Hotels Management and Tourism Board, Mr. Ini Akpabio, said experience acquired would place hotel managers on a higher pedestal for service delivery.

Akpabio said: “Hotel investors have claimed to be well experienced Hotel Managers . Once he has money to established a Hotel, he feels he knows the best to do in hospitality business and throw all sanity and professionalism to the dogs.

“For the fact that you invest in a Hotel business does not qualify you to be professional . Therefore both the investors and Managers need some certification to perform in line with International standard and best practice obtainable in the hospitality industry.”

However, the convener of the conference and Team Lead of Tojum Hospitality, Mr. Olugbenga Sunday, said the theme of this year’s conference focused on “Hotel Sales, Service and Standards,” adding that the hospitality industry rests on the three pillars.

TodayNG