Northeast Hoteliers Narrate Lockdown Woes

Hotel operators in states within the North- East say they are facing difficult times as a result of the lockdown of states occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mr. Jawal Laurence, Manager, Benco Hotels and Suites, Bauchi told NAN that they had been experiencing low turnout of customers.

He said although the hotel had not retrenched any of its staff, management was still thinking of how to cope with payment of salary.

“We are experiencing nearly ‘zero’ patronage; we thought things will get better but it is getting worse by the day,” he said.

Mr. Francis Patrick, the Manager, Chaba Hotel, Bauchi, said their business had been ‘completely grounded’ due to lack of patronage, adding that they now paid salaries in ‘batches’ due to paucity of funds.

The manager further explained that apart from lack of customers to patronize their rooms, their Event Halls had ‘gathered dust’ because there were no wedding ceremonies, meeting and other forms of social gatherings.

“Some customers have booked and paid for Hall to hold receptions but it was cancelled due to COVID 19.

“Probably, we will have to relieve some workers from their duty if we can no longer pay them,” Patrick said.

Also, Mr. Botman Bulus, House Keeping Manager, Bubbes Hotels and Suites, Bauchi, said that the hotel had asked some of its employees to stay at home till normalcy returned.

In Gombe State, Mr. Abdulwahab Ibrahim, Manager, Emerald Royal Hill Hotel, said patronage was at its lowest ebb but added that all measures prescribed by the government to prevent the spread of the disease had been put in place.

According to him, the hotel has 42 staff but only six are currently working as the remaining have been directed to stay at home because of the situation.

Mr. Jimoh Olaniyi, Manager, Maidugu Guest Palace, also narrated similar experiences and described the situation as “unimaginable”.

He said currently, they were operating at a loss due to low patronage as a result of the lockdown.

“We have to fuel our generator, buy units for electricity and also pay for watering of flowers, even without the customers.

“Out of 74 staff, only six are now working in the hotel, which has 56 rooms,” he lamented, adding that they were not sure of what would become of their salary.

According to him, before the challenges of COVID-19, “ we used to look for accommodation outside our hotel for our costumers because all our rooms were always booked.”

Mr. Appara Inda, Manager of Beth-Shalom Hotel, also lamented the situation and urged the Federal and state government to come to their rescue by assisting with soft loans to aid their recovery after the pandemic.

Narrating a similar ordeal, Hoteliers in Borno said the lockdown caused by COVID-19 had adversely affected their income.

Some staff of major hotels like Imperial Hotel, Barwee Hotel, and Nane Boye Hotel, who spoke to NAN, said the development had reduced the income of most hotels by about 50 per cent.

“Due to the lockdown, we no longer have visitors as in the past while groups and organisations no longer rent halls for seminars, workshops, and other events,” said a staff of Barwee who simply identified himself as Ali.

Managers of other hotels in Maiduguri who spoke on condition of anonymity narrated similar ordeal.

In Damaturu, capital of Yobe, Mrs. Glory Udoh, Manager of Classis Montage Motels, Damaturu, said the patronage had drastically dropped.

“We observed that only customers within Damaturu, the state capital, are occasionally patronising us, unlike some weeks go when guests who are on transit come regularly”, she lamented.

Udoh said the management had so far neither retrenched staff nor reduced their salary, but added that “if things continue this way, anything can happen.”

Miss Rita Uchegbu, the Assistant Manager, Oasis Resort, Damaturu, also said despite the low patronage, the hotel management did not retrench any staff or reduce their salaries.

She added that the health of their staff and that of customers was very important, especially at this critical moment.

“We always make sure that our customers and staff sanitise their hands at the entrance, as well as observe other hygiene etiquettes,” she said.

Ofem Ibiang, Manager GAATS Hotel Limited, Damaturu, equally said the patronage was relatively low compared to the period before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Also in Adamawa, Public Relations Affairs Officer of Hotel Managers Association, Mr. Elisha Gideon, lamented the lull in business activities.

” Since the declaration of lockdown order in Adamawa, our members had been operating at a loss.

”The lockdown had affected the movement of people, so we do not have guests anymore,” Gideon said.

On the retrenchment of staff, he said many Hoteliers in the state had retrenched their casual staff, pending when the situation would improve.

He said during the lockdown, some hotels offered skeletal services.

He explained that the members had complied with the directive of government that guests be screened before being allowed into their hotels.

” Now that the state government has relaxed the lockdown , we are hoping our businesses would recover” Gideon said.

Miss Jummai Stephen, a hotel attendant at Grandview Hotel, Yola, said the management of the hotel had provided them with masks and hand washing sanitiser.

Stephen said their hotel had reduced the number of personnel, especially casual staff.

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