Interview with Miguel Afonso dos Santos, General Manager at Polana Serena Hotel

How would you define the tourism sector in Maputo and Mozambique as a whole? What are the touristic trends?

Mozambique is a great country, it has beautiful beaches, landscapes, raw nature and great people. Traditionally, the trends and interests of tourists have been related to the islands of Mozambique. In Maputo, tourism is mainly related to business, due to the development of the country and to the different kinds of companies that are coming and investing here. In general terms, tourism tends to develop in Mozambique, not only business wise, since many international brands are looking for opportunities to invest here, but also leisure wise as well, due to our natural sceneries. So there is great potential.

What are the main investment opportunities?

In Mozambique, hospitality management has been growing since 2012. Now it is slowing down a bit, but the offer is increasing, not only in Maputo, but also in other areas in the country. However, I believe there are still many opportunities out there, mainly related to future investments in the gas industry, infrastructure, agriculture, agribusiness, etc. So of course we will need to accommodate these people and offer them comfort to come and invest in Mozambique.

Polana Serena Hotel provides 142 rooms, many of which are spacious suites. The hotel offers a choice of three restaurants, as well as the Polana Bar. We also have an amazing spa with a gym, aerobics studio, indoor pool area and separate spa areas for men and women.

To mention another example located just in front of the hotel, there is a wonderful piece of land with an elephant reserve closeby called Machangulo. If we had more animals there and better infrastructure, this could be the hotspot of Mozambique, just like Vilanculos or Bazaruto.

A lot is happening in Mozambique at the moment and we are investing in infrastructure to try and position the country worldwide. I think some brands could add value to the country and help improve the touristic experience.

Could you give us an overview of Polana Serena Hotel?

Polana has a great offer. First of all, we have 4 acres of property. Besides, Polana provides 142 rooms, many of which are spacious suites. The hotel also offers a choice of three restaurants: the all-day dining Varanda Restaurant, the Delagoa fine-dining experience in the French style; the Aquarius Sushi Bar, as well as the Polana Bar. We also have an amazing spa: the Maisha spa. The facility offers a gym, aerobics studio, indoor pool area and separate spa areas for men and women. Polana Serena Hotel was designed in 1922 so it has a touch of old and modern mixed together. We try to innovate as much as we can, so that we always create an exciting atmosphere for our guests.

We focus our attention on quality and people, both internally and externally. We also focus on sustainability and helping the community, so that the community is part of the growth of the hotel as well as the organic growth in general. It is important for us to act in our own environment.

Polana Serena is a global brand which has been in operation for 93 years, since Sir Herbert Baker designed the hotel. A lot of people came here and are still emotionally attached to the hotel. So we wish to develop as much as we can, being active partners of the city, working with schools, planting trees, and overall being part of the community. We also wish to check out projects that could benefit the touristic experience in general, creating a link between the city, animal reserves, beaches and islands, for example.

Who are your main clients?

Our clients are mainly business people that travel worldwide, from London to NYC, from Lisbon to Paris, etc. So everyday we have people from all over the world in the hotel. The ones that come the most are Portuguese, but South African and national businessmen are also an important part of our clientele. It is an interesting mix, as we don't rely on just one nationality. However, it is interesting to notice that the nationalities change depending on the investment sectors that are trendy in the country.

Do you think the country is getting interesting projects that might be potentially good for you?

The gas industry is the one that is growing the most and if all works well, all the hotels in the region will benefit from that as this means lodging for the teams and investors. But it is a big investment, so it takes time to make decisions, as well as to make operations work.

What would be your message to foreign investors?

I have to say that there are a lot of opportunities for investment in Mozambique, but this is not for those entrepreneurs who want to invest and have a quick return, they need to have the capacity to wait for the revenue and the development of the investment, creating human relations and understanding the country and the culture, only then will real opportunities rise.

What are the challenges that the sector and the hotel are facing here?

Marketwise, we rely mostly on business people. So when it is summer in Europe, it affects our income, for our tourists are on holiday elsewhere. So if we manage to get more leisure tourists, it will balance the tendency. That is why we have to try to increase leisure tourism in the city.

Another challenge to be faced, not only by the hotel industry but also by other industries, is logistics: you have to plan very carefully in order to receive all the hotel equipment, goods and purchases on time. Our guests have high expectations so we need to be consistent.

Mozambican people are very good people and they are very friendly, which is great for tourism as we work in the "smiling industry". However, technical wise, it takes more time to hire people here, as they are not as qualified and it takes time to show them the ropes. Hospitality schools are needed in Africa.

Where do you wish to see Polana Serena Hotel in 2 or 3 years’ time?

We are still investing in Polana, and refurbishment is a great part of the investment. As an example, we would like to keep the African roots of our Polana Mar rooms and introduce the modernity of Europe, so that the rooms have a younger and more vibrant look. We also want to build 12 Polana Nature villas for long term rentals, in order to develop leisure tourism. This way, people could stay here for one month, one year or even two to three years! Besides, I would like to point out that we have an amazing team which we want to empower even more. We also want to make sure the hotel reaches its highest potential, thus selling Mozambique as we have been doing for the past 93 years.