This is a follow-up design meeting, much was expected from Hospitality Associates.
Attendees:
- Mr. Tetteh – Lead Architect
- Ms. Boateng – Associate Architect
- Dr. Mensah – Hotel School Director
- Mr. Kwesin – Funding Officer
- Mr. Aanani – Operations Consultant, Hospitality Associates
- Ms. Yawa-Attah – Design & Training Advisor, Hospitality Associates
- Mrs. Akune – Project Manager
Mrs. Akune: Welcome back, everyone. We’ve incorporated the first set of design adjustments from our last site review. Today, Hospitality Associates will walk us through their operational checklist and proposal for educational enhancements. Mr. Aanani, Yawa-Attah—the floor is yours.
Mr. Aanani: Thank you. We’ve compiled some practical insights from our housekeeping and front desk teams, plus some on-site observations. Our aim is to create a facility that runs smoothly behind the scenes while delivering great learning experiences upfront.
Our recommendations to the operational design checklist are as follows:
- Widen guest corridors to at least 1.2 meters for easy movement.
- Leave 90 cm of space around beds for efficient cleaning.
- Resize wardrobes and recess writing desks to keep pathways clear.
- Place switches and sockets in accessible spots – not behind pillows or art.
- Move towel racks out of the shower splash zone.
- Place a couple of robe hooks near the vanity area, at least 9 inches apart and 70-72 inches above the floor.
- Add dedicated luggage racks in each room.
- Use anti-slip flooring in laundry and kitchen entry points.
- Position air vents away from headboards with bedside controls.
Ms. Boateng: We’ve started revising the layout based on these suggestions. Some changes were surprisingly simple yet made a big impact.
Ms. Yawa-Attah: Beyond functionality, we also looked at how the hotel can be a teaching tool. Some ideas include:
- Observation panels with one-way glass into laundry and kitchen areas for live learning.
- A flexible training room with interchangeable furniture and lighting.
- QR codes on equipment and fixtures that link to instructional content or manuals or maintenance tips.
- A display corridor in the guestrooms showcasing the design process, mistakes and all.
- A systems dashboard for students to track energy use, water flow, and maintenance requests in real-time.
- Multi-use furniture that demonstrates space efficiency.
- And one that’s dear to us: a Legacy Suite, designed to celebrate Ghanaian hospitality history while modeling excellence.
Dr. Mensah: Beautifully thought through. Each idea turns the hotel into a living curriculum. Can we phase these in without delaying the opening?
Mr. Kwesin: Yes, most of these ideas fit within our budget and can be seamlessly integrated. We’ll just need to coordinate with vendors for the smart tagging and modular furniture.
Mr. Tetteh: I’m really excited about the Legacy Suite and QR-linked learning. It’s design that comes from the heart.
Mrs. Akune: Alright, let’s move forward with integrating these elements. They’ll shape not just our opening but our long-term impact.
Just as the meeting was about to wrap up Mrs. Akune received an urgent text message to step out of the meeting briefly for an important message.
Mrs. Akune (returning, visibly shaken): I… I’m sorry to interrupt. I’ve just received very difficult news. (She pauses. All eyes are on her.)
“Mr. Tetemeh, the owner of the project passed away early this morning. One of the family members has sent word: all activities on the project are to be suspended… effective immediately.”
(Murmurs spread. No one moves.)
Dr. Mensah: Suspended? Was any explanation given?
Mrs. Akune: Not yet. Only that the family is meeting to determine next steps. I was instructed to inform all stakeholders without delay.
Mr. Tetteh: This will have far-reaching implications… for contractors, students, the school’s timeline.
The meeting room, once filled with ideas and technical precision, now felt hollow. Flipcharts stood untouched. Diagrams glowed faintly on the monitors. But the real weight hung in the air.
Ms. Yawa-Attah closed her notebook slowly, the pages still warm with hope.
“Projects can stall. Ideas shouldn’t,” she said quietly.
Mr. Aanani nodded, looking toward the updated floor plan.
Mrs. Akune, voice subdued but steady:
“We archive everything. Proposals, revisions, feedback threads. The story isn’t erased. Just… buried, for now.”
The room slowly emptied—no slammed doors, no protests. Just resignation and quiet resilience. In the language of Ghanaian hospitality, this was not closure. It was pause.
Below is journal entry of Ms. Yawa-Attah, written shortly after the closure of the hotel school project.
As I sat at my desk, staring at the floor plans of a dream that never came to life, the silence was deafening. No building to walk through. No team to share the journey with—just the faint whisper of what could have been.
The stillness felt like a verdict: unspoken decisions that don’t shout or explain, but quietly erase.
Yet in this emptiness, a spark remains. Scribbled margins, checklist notes—these bear witness to a vision, still intact. The towel rails, corridor widths, and QR codes may never serve their purpose, but they carry a secret: the blueprint of care, measured and meticulous.
I think of the students who might one day stumble upon this abandoned plan and learn something not just from what was built—but from what was paused.
So, I’ll keep writing. If the building doesn’t get to speak, I will.
Legacy isn’t what survives. It’s what’s remembered with clarity and intent.
— Y.A.
Disclaimer: This story is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
A new series starts next week.