Investment in hospitality industry will spur growth — Luciano Scelza

The hospitality industry can contribute significantly to the economic growth of the country if more attention is paid to that sector.

In line with that, there is a need for both the public and private sectors to increase investment in the sector for accelerated growth.

The General Manager of Marriott Hotel, Luciano Scelza, said that so far, the private sector was contributing significantly to the development of the industry in the country, adding:

“With the natural hospitality of Ghanaians, we are optimistic about the sector’s growth.”

He was speaking on the sidelines of the 7th Anniversary celebration of the Hotel in Accra. The event was attended by players in the hospitality industry, business executives, tourism experts and entrepreneurs, among others.

Relevance

Mr Scelza said there was always the need for people to go places, sleep, travel and also eat. 

“So the hospitality industry is always developing, with the introduction of new trends in technology and information technology, including Artificial Intelligence.

“A lot of things will improve in the sector if the right investment is made," the GM added.

Corporate Social Responsibility

He highlighted the company's commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the development of local talent in the country.

Mr Scelza said it was in furtherance of this that his outfit had partnered with educational institutions to provide training and growth opportunities for its staff.

He said with their focus on staff development, community engagement and sustainability, the GM said his outfit was poised to make a significant impact on the country's hospitality industry.

“We have a huge responsibility in the country to develop its hospitality industry. We have a system known as Serve 360.

So, we serve 360 degrees. We serve our guests, but we serve our people and we serve our community,” Mr Scelza said.

He further said that they had been collaborating with some partners to embark on clean-up campaigns at places such as the Labadi beach and the Ghana Italian Women's Association to support orphans and develop school infrastructure in the company's catchment area, among other interventions.

Pandemics

On what structures can be put in place to ensure that the hospitality industry in the country survives a pandemic similar to what happened during the COVID-19 era, Mr Scelza said resilience and a great sense of unity were key to surviving such pandemics.

He said during the COVID-19 period, none of his employees was laid off.

“We have already put in place standards and procedures that will help us to recover when such an unlikely event happens again,” the MD said.