Q&A with Panari Hotel General Manager Andrew Muir By Nasibo Kabale

Panari Hotel General Manager Andrew Muir 

The new Panari Hotel General Manager Andrew Muir has taken over at a time when the facility is finalising its six-month upgrade.

Muir, who has 30-years’ experience in the industry, promises big changes. He says his parents who were also in the hospitality industry inspired him to join the hotel business.

With your experience in Enashipai and other hotels, what fundamental changes do we expect to see at Panari?  

I have a had a longstanding career in the hospitality industry that spans over 30 years and I know the Kenyan tourism industry from back to front. I will ensure that the hotel standards are maintained at the five-star level. We are competing with more hotels than before.

For example, at some point, we were the only hotel close to the airport, currently, there about seven hotels and it is for this reason that we have to change our marketing strategies.

How do you plan to compete?  

We are required to be versatile and to think out of the box in order to bring more business in, which means that the upgrades and renovations were done to the hotel make sense for the clients. I always make a habit of asking my clients what they want and how we can make their experiences worthwhile. This is more of what you will expect from us in the future. 

We have also embraced social media and the digital market in an effort to keep up with the times. The hotel has had a facelift. What are the changes made to ensure its status meets client expectations? 

Are people receptive and is it bringing in more clients? 

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One thing our clients are pleased with is the double glazing of the rooms which pleases them so much. You see, 54 per cent of our rooms overlook the national park but that also means they are on the highways but with the glazing, all that noise is completely blocked off. We also have complimentary pick-up and drop-off to the airports as well as the standard gauge railway stations which has been taken positively. Security is something we take seriously and the fact that we have a skating rink, cinema restaurants and a club under one roof makes us a one-stop shop for them.

High-level meetings in the country such as TICAD have become scarce, in your opinion, what is the future of Meetings, Incentives, Conventions, and Events (MICE) tourism? We are working with counties, the national government and embassies to ensure we have a working relationship that has positive outcomes for all of us. Another thing we do now is the expos, not just locally but with other countries. We give exhibitors from other countries a platform to show their products here, which always a win-win. I think it is important to note that Kenya has about one million tourists annually and there is no reason why the number cannot go up to three million. I think that with proper marketing we can increase that number easily.

With the national government calling for austerity and therefore a possible cut in the tourism budget, what is your outlook of the industry? One thing we can offer that counties cannot offer is expertise. This is what we focus on and without proper organisation, then people become dissipated. While this sounds like a good measure and possibly cheaper, it is really not because hotels remain a good option - reason being we know have conference halls, visual and audio equipment, boarding facilities - basically an all-around package under one roof which ends up being more affordable than trying to find all these aspects from various providers. Hotels also have outside catering facilities so in the event that counties embrace this we still have something to bring to the table.

How do you ensure that locals also enjoy the hotel facilities?  

There are inadequate hotels that accommodate both locals and international tourist, however here at the Panari, we ensure that we have just as many locals as foreign guests enjoying the perks. It’s important while seeking to tap into the tourism sector that most businesses forget to tap into the local market. At Panari, we have special offers for residents as opposed to overseas residents - for weddings, holidays such as Easter and Christmas. The locals also enjoy the skating rink especially on Sundays when its open to the public. nkabale@standardmedia.co.ke