If you are a keen observer of developments in the Nigerian hospitality market, you will notice a gradual but steady push of one of the respected global hotel brands across the country and West Africa.
Its name is synonymous with authenticity, while its emphasis is on value for money offerings, development of skills and local affinity in economies it operates.
Of course, it was with joy and high expectations that hotel guests welcome Swiss International, foremost hotel chain and hospitality management company, into the Nigerian hotel market.
Though it took 32 years for the Switzerland-based hotel chain to berth in Nigeria and Africa at large, but has made good effort at pushing the brand across the continent and, especially in Nigeria, since 2012 it started operations here.
Within two years in Africa, Swiss International has four functional hotels in West Africa, two in North Africa and over 10 signages for new hotel properties already undergoing construction in Africa.
Among the 10 hotel projects in the pipeline, and also in line with its target of a minimum of 20 hotels within West Africa before 2018, are: two hotels in the Republic of Benin, one in Mali and Togo, while Nigeria has the highest with five hotels, comprising one in Benin City, two in Makurdi, one in Kano, and Abuja. It is kicking off its East African plan with Tanzania.
However, the expansion is Africa is championed by Wasiu Babalola, a thorough-bred Nigerian hospitality expert. Babalola, who is the managing director, West Africa, Swiss International, is also on the International Management Council of the hotel chain, and a member of the Advisory Board, Swiss Business School.
While Nigeria is a very good market for the hotel chain, Babalola explains that, the brand is coming with unique offerings, especially Swiss authenticity in product and service delivery that has no rival across the global. “Being a Switzerland company, we value our culture as Swiss people. The Swiss have the arrogance of ‘our belief’ that there is nothing fake in Switzerland, especially Swiss watch, and others have come to accept the originality and authenticity of Swiss people and their products,” Babalola explains.
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Beyond that, the hotel chain is doing things differently, going to places where others dread with an eagerness to carve a niche for itself and take its market share of the Nigerian hospitality market. “We are going where others brands dread. We have a Swiss Spirit coming up in Kano. Others think Kano is volatile, we think Kano is business. We are going to Makurdi, about four hours from Abuja, against popular thinking that if you are not in Abuja you miss it,” he says.
Yet, the offerings seem unending. It is offering Nigeria and West Africa at large four variants: Swiss International, its upscale market four-star brand; Royal Swiss, its upend market, about five to six star; Swiss Spirit; its mid market, and Edges by Swiss International, designed to show attraction to Nigeria. “Swiss colour is white and red, but the Edges is green, white and red to show our confidence in the market we operate. We discovered that there are some small hotels that were built without meeting international construction standards. But these hotels are willing to offer good services and that is why we develop the Edges, smaller hotels that can offer good services and well-trained staff. Service has nothing to do with structure. That is what we are offering West Africa,” Babalola says.
The Edges brand, according to him, saves investors the stress of going to bank to ask for money to build 500 bedroom hotels.
One other unique offering of the Switzerland-based hotel chain is the efficient and somewhat win-win operation/business model it is bringing to table here.
Instead of franchise, Swiss International is offering investors ‘manchise.’ “We do not operate franchise in Nigeria; rather, we are bringing what we call ‘manchise’ and management. Under franchise, I release my system to you and walk away, and at the end of the month, I send you my invoice. But under manchise, I release my system to you, but I am still interested in your profitability and what you do with my system. So, we do not walk away. I send people on my payroll to work with you and ensure you achieve what we agree you are going to achieve. The model works for us,” he explains.
The hotel chain is also taking skills development seriously, especially with structured training programmes.
In Nigeria, we have put in place what we call Emral Group, a training platform, in line with our policy of having an indigenous manager to run our brand within five years of operation in any economy. “The manager understands our culture. Young people are featured on our training platform where they are being paid as if they are expatriates. And because we have three functional Swiss hotels in Nigeria, we have three people that are undergoing 18-month training. Within these 18 months, they will be trained in three different countries, spending six months in each country and they are paid in dollars and employed by Swiss International,” he says.
