Hotels' winter shutdown?

A good friend of mine lent me the current issue of MHRA magazine - a quarterly review of the hospitality industry. We were discussing this and that of the local scene; somehow the conversation came round to the present hotel occupancy rate. Since this time is considered by the hospitality industry as the off season there had been consideration of a winter shutdown. To my remark that the subject is interesting he picked up the magazine that had recently reached him and passed it to me.

A random turning of pages caught my attention. There were opinions of hotel managers - the pros and cons of a winter shutdown. My friend suddenly stiffened. Rather heatedly he exclaimed: "In my 37 years in the hotel business I never shut down. That was quite a few years ago since I left the industry of entertainment. Only the lazy do that sort of thing... or else those whose imagination is stagnant."

The MHRA magazine contains many interesting contributions. Some point out deficiencies, complaints or shortfalls. At the same time there are offers of solutions to the problem. Four-star hotels mainly drastically reduce their price-list for the winter season in an effort to cope. Their aim is to attract tourists who would otherwise have to pay higher prices elsewhere. On the local scene this would otherwise have meant a drop in occupancy levels; at the same time it denotes a a decrease of the profit margins.

Malta and Ibiza

One very telling point was made by contributor Mark Grima: "Malta is just a square inch compared to other competitive countries - one square inch that can flourish with the slightest increase such as tapping the 18-30 market." He made this remark while comparing the marketing process of Malta and Ibiza. He said with a strong hint of critical comparison that Malta insists on culture, sun and sea while Ibiza laid emphasis on night entertainment. This must play an important part in the island's advertising abroad. He argues that this is what the 16-30 group pay for. Malta is being labelled as an old people's resort.

The new president of the Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association (MHRA), its youngest ever, Winston J. Zahra, gave interesting statistics in his "Letter from the President". Membership represents over Lm400 million worth of investment and employing over 7,000 people directly in addition to a further 10,000 indirectly.

The onus this year's council is to face is to ensure that members' interests are protected at all times. This is a great task. The intention is also a most serious one. The rub is whether all members rise to the occasion. Their other task is to find ways and means to better their product and service. More important is the pro-active response to such exercise.

EU issue

The association has taken an informed and responsible stand on the EU issue, free of any political agenda. It is crystal-clear that EU membership puts Malta on the positive profitable side in the picture of tourism. It has been acknowledged repeatedly that the most important foreign currency earner is tourism. There are different aspects of the hospitality industry. All aspects must be granted the same degree of attention and progressive action.

Admitting that at the top of the list in ensuring success there is our environment which leaves much to be desired. In this sphere of action, as indeed in others, there must be inculcated the doctrine and practice of private and public collaboration in facing this problem successfully.

In his letter the president mentioned the need of commissioning, which has actually been done, of "an environmental impact assessment for the sole purpose of establishing in a scientific way the real negative effect of the environment on future flows of tourism numbers and revenue streams"...

Eco-tourism

A synopsis of the article "Eco-tourism: Environment World Tourism Day" reads: "The Malta Hotels and Restaurants Association is very much aware of the essential impact a clean, healthy and well kept environment (that all encompassing term) has on tourism".

The corpus of the article contains this statement: "Local entrepreneurs in the tourist industry are well aware of the requirements... a persistent, consistent, persuasive, pervading campaign in schools, villages, towns, cities, on radio, television and press educating the young, the middle aged and the old that Malta (and not only their residence) is their home, and that keeping it clean and tidy is a must."

This is all very well and good. But what do the entrepreneurs do on their own initiative and expense? After all is said and done, looking after the environment is very much their own business as well as their bread and butter.

Entertaining the tourist

Tourists come to be distant "from their urban jungle and where they can spend a holiday in a relaxed and clean atmosphere... without work pressure." Apart from a comfortable bed, a well-appointed hotel and good, wholesome, well-prepared food, the tourist should be entertained. And hoteliers should see that they are entertained. They should not be allowed to remain at a loose end.

Five-star hotels employ hostesses to see that the tourist is well looked after and that there is both day and night entertainment available. This is not the purpose of showing how. It simply takes common sense and a good dose of imagination to make the tourists happy and to persuade them to return again and again.