For Tom Byahunga the Restaurant Manager at Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo and Speke Resort Munyonyo and his colleague Jovia a house-keeping room attendant, Wednesday August 21, 2018 was a normal day like others.
Little did they know that great service, offered to customers as part of their normal routine, would give them a day in the sun.
That day, a customer that had not only been a beneficiary of their great service but also had noticed the hotel’s general great service to customers, penned nearly a full page article in The New Vision, Uganda’s leading daily, attracting the attention of the whole tourism sector to their acts of hard work, dedication and professionalism.
This writer was none, other than Dr Opiyo Oloya, a Ugandan born Ugandan-born educator, author, broadcaster, music-lover and journalist, who currently resides in Canada where he is the Superintendent of Schools, York Catholic District School Board.
Writing in The New Vision, Dr. Opio observed:
“Just a scant three weeks ago, at Speke Resort Munyonyo I witnessed staff handle deftly (skilfully) with panache (elegance) a small incident involving a guest. It was morning and many guests were streaming to and from the dining room for breakfast. At the reception, I overheard a guest complaining there had been some misunderstanding in the dining room. After breakfast, she had asked for a finger of sweet banana to take for the road, but the request was not fulfilled. She was clearly unhappy about it, and mentioned it more than once. One of the attending staff immediately went to the dining room to find out what happened.
In the meantime, the shuttle pulled up to the front of the hotel to take the lady to wherever she was going. She reluctantly went into the vehicle, still muttering about the banana. As the shuttle pulled away, the staff who had gone to the dining room rushed back carrying a small bundle — several fingers of banana neatly packaged. The shuttle was already picking up speed and, if this had been the old days, the staff member would have let the matter rest there.
But this was not the old days and so the staff member chased at top speed after the shuttle. He stopped the vehicle and when the door opened, profusely apologised to the lady and handed her the bundle of bananas.
I was too far to see the expression on the face of the guest, but I could only imagine she was grateful she got her banana. Importantly, whatever harsh opinion she was beginning to form about Speke Resort Munyonyo dissolved away in the face of the amends made by the quick action of the staff.
Later the same day, when I met the Assistant General Manager of Speke Resorts, Akhilesh Malik, I told him about the incident. I let him know that it may have been a small thing, but for the guest it was a big thing.
I let him know that staff response to this incident and throughout my stay have been extremely impressive, sensitive and alert to the needs of guests.
The staff were invariably courteous and made every guest feel as if the entire hotel’s resources were mobilised just for their individual personal comfort. And. I added, it may explain why Speke Resort continues to pull in guests when some big hotels in Kampala have become deserted skeletal ghosts of past glories.
Indeed, I let Malik know I was extremely happy with my own stay at the hotel. From Jovia, the maid who cleaned my room daily and who took care of my valuables to waiters like Tom who ensured there was local Maziwa Lala (yogurt) for breakfast.”
Dr Opio Oloya’s testimony has caught the attention of many a player, including Lilly Ajarova, Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) Chief Executive Office who took to her twitter account to extol the duo as “tourism heroes of the day”.
“Speke Resort’s Tom Byahunga (Restaurant Manager) & Jovia, house-keeping room attendant were mentioned in this impassioned article by Dr Opiyo Oloya in The New Vision for their for their exceptional customer care. To all the Toms & Jovias out there, I salute you all,” she wrote.
The duo were also recognised by the Hotel’s Manager, Akhilesh Malik with a token of appreciation.
Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo and Speke Resort Munyonyo are some of Uganda’s most awarded hotels.
Commonwealth Resort Munyonyo and Speke Resort Munyonyo won the coveted 2018 World Luxury Hotel Awards country and regional categories respectively. Speke Resort Munyonyo was also recognized as the best Service and Luxury Business Hotel – in the 4th edition of the Ekkula Pearl of Africa Tourism Awards, while Dr. Sudhir, the hotel’s proprietor was recognised as a Lifetime Tourism Achiever.
While attending the Africa Now Conference 2019 Africa’s 8th richest person- billionaire Strive Masiyiwa, was visibly impressed by the expansive Speke Resort Munyonyo and the adjoining Commonwealth Resort and said the place should be “the official African Conference Centre.”
“Why don’t we declare this venue; this site, the official African Conference Centre. I go all over Africa to conferences and in big hotels and we go to the basements and we come to this amazing venue…thank you very much for organizing it. I will come every year if you want,” added an elated Masiyiwa, before a smiling President Yoweri Museveni and several other guests.