Ghana’s hotel industry is still at its infancy stage despite several attempts to improve hospitality standards.
As many as 14 legislations and policies have been formulated over the years to improve standards in the hotel industry, but many of these are not being implemented by the respective agencies.
Over 1,838 hotels had registered with the Ghana Tourism Authority so far. But a recent study by the Ghana Hotels Association has revealed that the services offered by the hotels do not meet the required standards.
Whilst the 4 and 5 Star hotels are trying to meet the standards, most of the budget and lower class hotels are providing sub-standard services.
The study revealed poor hotel staff grooming and appearance, lack of courtesy towards guests, poor food hygiene, lack of trained chefs and food varieties, inadequate hotel infrastructure and safety measures.
The delivery of poor hotel services has led to low room occupancy in some hotels especially the lower grade ones. Budget hotels within the cities are recording occupancy of about 40 to 45 percent whilst their counterparts in the districts are recording 20 percent occupancy.
The Ghana Hotels Association said this is far below the international benchmark and does not make the hotel business viable.
The BUSAC Fund over the years supported the Ghana Hotels Association to develop customer service and other standards for the hotel industry. These will also serve as the benchmark for grading hotels in conformity with international standards.
By John Kelly
