Revitalizing Hospitality-The Case of Kunta Hotels Part 1 cont.
In this story, Yawa-Attah and her mentor and co-Director, Mr. Aanani, delve deeper into the requirements of the consultancy project for Kunta Hotels. They discuss the timeline and acknowledge the importance of efficiency, prioritization, and delegation to meet the six-month deadline. Yawa-Attah realizes that assembling a strong team is the first step before diving into financial projections.
Together, they develop a structured plan, breaking the project into tasks, setting milestones, and assigning responsibilities. As they review the requirements, they recognize the need for experts in specialized fields, including an interior decorator to enhance the hotel’s design and guest experience.
The conversation gains momentum as they refine their approach, identifying key professionals for various aspects of the project. They finalize decisions on hiring a financial analyst, legal advisor, architect, engineer, environmental consultant, interior decorator, and regulatory expert. After negotiating fees, they draft subcontracts to outline expectations.
With clearly defined roles and a well-structured plan, Yawa-Attah and Mr. Aanani feel confident about moving forward, prepared to tackle the challenges of drafting a compelling document to secure financing for the renovation and expansion of Kunta Hotels.
Hurdles Accessing the Past
The project, undertaken in 1990, sought to determine traditional hotel performance measures— such as occupancy percentages, profit indicators, and return on investment—on which many hoteliers rely for evaluating hotel performance. However, would it be possible to readily access accurate records for the work at hand?
The task involved piecing together financial records from 1984 to 1989—a period when record-keeping was largely manual, making it vulnerable to errors, losses, and even manipulation. The challenge extended beyond merely crunching numbers; it was about uncovering the truth behind the hotels’ operations during those volatile years. They had to use past and current data to anticipate operations for the coming ten years!
The deadline was tight—too tight. Yawa-Attah visualized the timelines and milestones they had set for themselves, ensuring a clear path for executing various tasks efficiently.
| Month 1-2 | Month 2-3 | Month 3-4 | Month 4-5 | Month 5-6 |
| 📊 Data collection & Market Research | 💰 Financial Analysis & Projections | 🏗️ Design & Planning & Ops Planning | ✍️ Draft Report Preparation | 📄 Final Report Submission |
Within the period allocated for data collection, they set aside four weeks to uncover five years’ worth of financial history for the two hotels. Surely, they shouldn’t face challenges in accessing the records of reputable, going-concern hotels like the State Hotels!
Yawa-Attah felt the weight of responsibility pressing against her as she was confronted with challenges with data collection and research. The clock was ticking. Mr. Aanani, ever composed but deeply concerned, knew that their reputation was on the line.
This first hurdle had already set them back—missing ledgers and fragmented financial records. The accounting archives were an absolute mess; files on the floor, stacked on each other and some of what they needed had either vanished or never been properly recorded. It was the same for both hotels. “No respect for records”, Yawa-Attah kept complaining and sometimes almost panicking.
Their journey began with a simple assumption: as ‘State Hotels,’ they must have maintained decent records. However, it soon became apparent that things were not so straightforward.
– Fragmented Data: Official documents were scattered—some records were missing, others were misplaced in dusty storage rooms, and crucial reports from specific years were entirely gone.
– Reluctant Gatekeepers: Former financial officers, now long retired or working elsewhere, proved hesitant to assist. Some refused outright, hinting at past conflicts or even hidden discrepancies in the numbers.
– Technological Limitations: Unlike modern databases, records from the mid-80s were kept in ledgers, faded receipts, and annual summaries typed on paper prone to decay.
Then came these roadblocks:
– Former accountants dodged inquiries, refusing to discuss historical figures without legal assurances at the Tamale facility.
– A crucial file had been destroyed in an office fire back in 1987, leaving a gap in occupancy rates and revenue reporting in the Kumasi facility.
– A key financial officer suddenly disappeared, traveling abroad with no intention of returning anytime soon at the Kumasi facility.
Pressure was building. With each setback, the deadline felt closer and more overwhelming.
By the end of the second week, frustration had reached its peak. Yawa-Attah burned through late nights with research assistants, combing through faded receipts and brittle ledgers, hoping to reconstruct missing figures from fragmented data. Each document told only part of the story, forcing them to rely on estimates and assumptions to piece together a coherent financial picture. The deeper they dug, the more they realized how much was missing.
Meanwhile, Mr. Aanani and a supervisor were overseeing the field teams conducting market research in Tamale and Kumasi. However, progress was slow—obstacles in the collection of data, difficulty reaching target audience, data security concerns and time restraints.
Yawa-Attah began regretting her decision to convince Mr. Aanani that Hospitality Associates should handle data collection and market research. Now, she wished he was working alongside her to retrieve the past records of the hotels. The pressure mounted as time slipped away, and the deadline loomed over them like a storm about to break.
Then, in a desperate bid for answers, they pursued a new lead. They no longer had to deal with each hotel separately—what a relief for Yawa-Attah! Mr. Aanani, having previously worked with the State Hotels, tracked down a retired records clerk who had once overseen financial reports before the divestiture program at the head office. Though hesitant at first, she recognized the urgency of their situation. While she no longer had direct access to the records, she knew exactly where they should look. She recalled specific archives—files stored deep within the head office—where critical documents might still be intact. Armed with this new direction, they had one final chance to retrieve the figures and data needed to understand the hotels’ operations.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.