Park Inn Hotel By Radisson Opens With 12 Akilah Alumnae on Staff
There is a new kid on Kigali’s hotel block. The Park Inn Hotel by Radisson opened its doors on May 22 with a vision of adding color, fun, and comfort to the hospitality industry in Rwanda.
Park Inn is one of Akilah’s employer partners and has hired a dozen Akilah graduates. We got a pre-opening sneak peek at Park Inn’s property in the center of Kigali and a chance to talk to their General Manager and two of our graduates working there.
Hiring Local
Colorful and modern are the two best words to describe Park Inn’s new premises. The reception is a vibrant mix of modern designer furniture and more traditional Rwandan handicrafts, such as full-size wooden bicycles hanging on the walls.
“We want to create a happy environment where people feel welcome and laid back. Our service concept is ‘Adding Colors to Life,’ and to us that means to have fun, make a difference, and create an environment that’s less formal than you normally see in hotels,” says Park Inn’s General Manager, Thomas Stene.
Stene has been in Rwanda since January 2016 to prepare for the opening of Park Inn with his team. One of their biggest tasks was to recruit the new staff — from front desk personnel and hosts, to housekeeping and waitstaff, to gym trainers.
“Our aim is to hire primarily locally … we aim to identify and educate local managers within all of the departments — hopefully we will also see a Rwandan General Manager one day.”
According to Stene, Park Inn hopes to leave a permanent and positive mark on Rwanda’s hotel industry.
“We see it as our obligation to give back to the community by passing on our experience and training to our local staff so they can be part of the hospitality industry on an internationally competitive level. The hospitality industry is still fairly new here, but with proper training, passion, and commitment, we will see a huge difference in the level of service.”
‘We Want to See Women Rise to High-Level Roles’
Park Inn partnered up with Akilah to recruit graduates from our Hospitality Management Diploma program.
“We are very interested in hiring qualified women. In this industry, we often see a lot of men in managerial positions, and we are committed to also see women rise to high-level roles. We came to Akilah because we knew they had a good hospitality program for women, and we are really happy with the performance of our 12 Akilah employees,” Stene says.
“We are very interested in hiring qualified women. In this industry, we often see a lot of men in managerial positions, and we are committed to also see women rise to high-level roles.”
The Happy Makers
When hiring, Stene and his team focus on soft skills and a willingness to learn over technical skills. “We hire an attitude, we train the skills. If we see someone with the right attitude, we can train them in anything else,” he explains. Akilah’s curriculum also emphasizes soft skills, such as leadership, critical thinking, and public speaking, which position students well for hospitality careers.
“We encourage them to take initiative, be outspoken, and make their own decisions. I will always be happy just to see that you made a decision yourself, even if it is not the right decision. It’s important for me to show that this is a place where you are allowed to loosen up a bit, have fun, and feel empowered to make your own decisions. We call ourselves the Happy Makers. That is what we want to be.”
From Akilah to Park Inn
Samantha Uwamaliya and Joselyne Umutone both graduated from Akilah in January 2017 and started working at Park Inn in March. After several weeks of training, the two women are excited to start receiving guests in their roles as hostess and waitress, respectively.
“I always wanted to work for a big hotel brand — and now I am! I feel happy and proud to be here. It’s such an interesting place to work. They give us staff members the opportunity to express ourselves and make our own decisions. It makes me want to do my best every day,” Joselyne says.
Out of the 12 Akilah alumnae working at Park Inn, most graduated with the Class of 2016. The sisterhood they built at Akilah carries over to the workplace.
“Sometimes we can be five Akilah girls in the same shift. We support each other in our work, and we can see how it affects our other colleagues. When they see how we are doing well and supporting each other, it inspires them to do the same. In many ways, it feels like we are role models for our other colleagues,” Samantha says.
“In many ways, it feels like we are role models for our other colleagues.”
Both Samantha and Joselyne agree that confidence, hard work, and teamwork are key to landing a job at Park Inn and other big hotels.
“You have to believe in yourself … Don’t be afraid to seek help and support among your colleagues. You can’t work alone — make sure to work in teams and help each other. We want to keep moving up and one day reach a point where we can be managers. Who knows — maybe someday one of us will be the General Manager,” Samantha says confidently.