Pauline Etienne
29 August 2007
Port Louis — Three hotels have reopened since the beginning of the month after renovation work. If closure definitely represents a loss of earnings, it appears as a must for hoteliers to be constantly in touch with customers' expectations.
The Sofitel Imperial (picture above) reopened at the beginning of the month after renovation work while the Trou-aux-Biches hotel will temporarily close down in May next year if the project is approved by the authorities.
Several hotels have been through renovation work in the past few months. Despite the great success the tourism sector has been enjoying recently, some hotels have decided to close down in order to better meet their customers' needs in the future. As the number of arrivals is expected to rise even more over the next few months, these hotels decided to close during what was supposed to be the low season. Most of them are reopening in August and September.
The Royal Palm and the Mauricia, both in Grand-Bay and belonging to the Beachcomber group, reopened at the beginning of this month, as did the Sofitel Imperial in Wolmar, Flic-en-Flac.
The Sofitel Imperial, which re-opened on the 1st of August, invested about Rs 200 million in the renovation of 143 of its 191 rooms as well as six of its suites, its lobby, restaurant and bar. Thanks to this renovation work, the Sofitel was upgraded and now has a uniformly high standard.
As for the Trou-aux-Biches hotel, it "will close down in May next year if the project is approved by the authorities," confirmed Malenn Oodiah, in charge of communication in the Beachcomber group. It was first said that the hotel would close down for its major renovation work in February but the decision was finally taken not to close down during the high season.
After modest renovations in the past, this project appears to be a huge one, as the number of rooms will more than double if the project is approved. In view of the objective of attracting two million tourists by 2015, the Trou-aux-Biches hotel wants to give itself the means to accommodate the greatest possible number.
As for the Coco Beach of Sun Resorts Ltd, "we definitely have renovation projects for the Coco Beach but the project is still under preparation with many discussions being held with our main stakeholders," said Clyde Vacher, communication and public affairs manager for the group.
Permanent upgrading to remain up to date
However, Coco Beach is far from the sole renovation project of Sun Resorts, as there have always been renovation projects in all their hotels from time to time. "Even though all renovations do not mean that the hotel will be completely pulled down, there comes a time when the management must see if the offer meets the expectations of tourists. A permanent upgrading is part of the process of any company that wants to remain up to date," commented the communication manager of Sun Resorts.
There are different types of renovations and the most regular one appears to be the soft refurbishment. "The most frequent type of renovation is the soft refurbishment, as it enables a continuity in operations. The hotel can keep on accommodating groups and individuals while upgrading its products. The reservation department needs only to make sure that a few rooms are freed for some time," added Clyde Vacher.
However, if there is a strategic desire to reposition the hotel - as in the case of the Sofitel Imperial for instance - then there is a need for complete renovation. "This does not necessarily mean that the whole hotel will be demolished but it definitely means that it will have to be closed for a while to make sure tourists do not suffer from the noise and work being done," explained Clyde Vacher.
The closing period of three or so months appears quite short in the sector. It took much more time for hotels like the Touessrok or the St Géran to renovate their properties and open their doors to their customers again. It certainly represents a loss of earnings during the months of closure but is actually considered an "unavoidable investment" for most hoteliers of the country.
This is why many of them took the decision to close down during winter months so that they can fully enjoy the coming high season - especially as the government plans 900,000 tourists by the end of this year.
Others may postpone their temporary closure because they do not want to miss the boom in the sector
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