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US hospitality firm Marriott scouts for talent in Kenya

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Sayed Haggag, Marriott's director of Talent Acquisition in charge of the Middle East and Africa. Photo/Salaton Njau

The fast growing traffic of global hotel chains into Kenya has been touted as a manifestation of an expanding market for leisure products.

The trend has been attributed to the emergence of a dynamic middle class with more disposable income to spend on finer things in life alongside heavy influx of foreign investors.

Besides lifting Kenya’s business profile, most of these top hotel brands have tapped into the local workforce to support their core operations, a positive step towards reducing the pain of unemployment while cutting cost for them in hiring expatriates.

US hospitality firm Marriott International has been in Kenya for the past five years on a talent hunting mission. Officials have indicated plans to set shop in the local market to leverage on rising number of business travellers.

The Business Daily spoke to Sayed Haggag, the director of Talent Acquisition in charge of the Middle East and Africa business circuit on the firm’s plans in Kenya and just what it takes for candidates to be in the golden shortlist. He was recently in Nairobi in search of talent.

Marriott said it was keen to develop a broad human resource base locally before it goes on stream in Kenya. It looks to absorb about 1200.

Currently, the bulk of its workforce from Kenya serves in tax-free Persian Gulf nations – Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates.

The programme offers free accommodation, medical cover, meals and transport.

Marriott International CEO Arne Sorenson was last month quoted by Bloomberg TV expressing renewed interest of making inroads into Kenya. It was reported as early as 2011 that the hotel chain was eyeing a slice of the local market. Any deal on the cards?

Definitely, but at this point suffice it to say Marriott has a lot of interest in the Kenyan market. The traffic of leisure and business travellers in the country has grown tremendously since I made my first stop here in 2009. This presents us with a huge fresh market.

Which model would Marriott ride on to enter Kenyan market, franchise, acquisition…?

For the record, Marriott only manages businesses for hotel owners in markets outside the US, but that does not rule out acquisitions, as was the case with South African hotel chain Protea.

We identify a willing investor as early as during ground breaking and advise them on building design, structure and requirements that meet Marriott’s standards. The cost is shouldered by the owner.

We only come in after the completion of the building and run the hotel business on behalf of the owner under Marriott. We also determine what kind of staff to be hired since they have to meet our standards.

For managing the business, Marriott charges a fee, some given percentage.

At what rate?

I cannot share that.

What informed your latest visit to Kenya?

This is my fifth time in Kenya. During this period, I have been engaged in finding top talent, knowing very well Kenya is among countries with a competent human resource base, to support our expansion in the Middle East and Africa circuit.

Currently, there are 42 branches in the region with the number set to grow with the opening of others in the continent.

Between 250 and 300 Kenyans are currently working for Marriott, especially in Dubai and Qatar.

We are looking to hire another 1200 or 10 per cent of the number (12,000) we intend to recruit from Africa by 2018.

This pool of workers – managers, supervisors and hospitality sector staff – is aimed at supporting our growth in the continent.

There is ongoing construction of premises whose owners have inked deals with Marriott in several African nations including Ghana, Benin, Gabon, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Angola and Rwanda.

The one in Kigali, Rwanda will open next year, the first for Marriott in east Africa. Currently, we have nine hotel branches in three African nations – Egypt (seven), one in Libya and another in Algeria.

What do you look for when hiring staff?

Attitude plays a big role in guiding our selection. Over and above university qualifications, we pick staff on the basis of demonstrable passion for fields in their area of interest. It is very easy to detect and feel passion; it rubs off on the panel during the interview.

We have partnered with several local universities from where we pick finalists for two-year training before being absorbed into the workforce. These include Strathmore University, Kenyatta University, United States International University (USIU) and Kenya Utalii College.

These institutions conduct pre-selection of students for us.

Our human resource basket offers three packages – a six-month internship programme, entry level jobs including support staff and a two-year management training programme, otherwise known as voyage.

Those in the voyage programme, mostly elite graduates, end up being managers and supervisors in various branches in Middle East and Africa.

Prior to linkages with learning institutions, we relied on recruitment agencies but as we later found out, it was anything but a reliable way to attract top talent. That is why we turned to citadels of top brains.

To buttress our search, we are working with a reputable local agency – Harpers Management – for talent management. We look for candidates who display impressive basic etiquette skills, communication skills alongside being tech-savvy.

These skills are essential since our clients, most of who are sophisticated, demand high-end treatment. Generally, we look for great ambassadors.

What should new employees look forward to once they are recruited?

To start with, working with Marriott in itself is a great achievement since it is a strong global brand known for its professionalism. We offer handsome remuneration besides being let in a close-knit, yet large family.

Those working in Arabian Gulf get their salaries in full – no taxes. In addition, they are offered free accommodation, medical cover, meals and transport to and from work.

How do individual jobseekers with no links with your local agent or partner universities go about job application?

We have a career site where jobseekers can apply. Applicants are subjected to three interviews including an online aptitude test, the second on phone and the last one taking the one-on-one format.

We then notify them whether they have succeeded or not in one month. Marriott handles all travel arrangements for those in the shortlist.

Besides, we seek to strike deals with more learning institutions in coming years. That would be an area of interest when I return to Kenya again around October.

How would you rate Kenya’s hospitality landscape?

The landscape is fast changing with premium experience slowly becoming the norm. Add the recent entry of top players in the market and you get a highly competitive sector with high returns.