The 13th Edition of the National Tourism Awards 2017 saw Charlotte Court Hostel, located in the hills of Berekuso winning the prestigious Hostel of the Year award for 2017.
Eben Ewool, co-founder and Director of Admin & Operations at Charlotte Court Hostel was kind enough to grant us a short interview following their success. Eben is an alumnus of the University of Ghana. He shared on what motivated them to win this award and how they did it.
Interview with Charlotte Court Hostel
Q1. How do you feel after winning the Hostel of the year award and is it your first time?
We feel humbled. It’s the first National award that we have won but we have won 3 consecutive Regional awards from 2015-2017 namely the
Eastern Regional Tourism Awards – Hostel of the Year in 2015
Eastern Regional Tourism Awards – Hostel of the Year in 2016
Eastern Regional Tourism Awards – Hostel of the Year in 2017
Q2. Which other hostels were you up against and how did you emerge winners. What’s your secret?
A lot of equally very good hostels. We do not have a secret, we just focus on doing the basic things right on a consistent basis.
Q3. What motivated you to start a hostel in such a remote place?
Our main motivation for starting Charlotte Court was to help alleviate the off-campus accommodation challenges that the students of Ashesi University were facing.
Q4. How long has the hostel been in operation, has it been a smooth journey?
It has been 5 years since we started in January 2013. Nothing is smooth in life and neither was it for us in the beginning.What is required is wisdom to navigate the ups and downs of life and luckily for us, we have been blessed with lots of it.
Q5. Did you ever think of winning this award?
Yes, we had the potential and have been looking forward to it.
Q6. Was there ever a time that you thought of quitting?
Not at all. Once we start a thing then we must make it succeed. We believed that with God with us nothing was impossible. What is more, we were sure we had something positive to offer the Ashesi student community and as the University had come to stay so was our determination to stay with the school.
Q7. How does the future look like for Charlotte Hostel, plans of expansion, adopting new technology like online payments, signing up on GetRooms
, etc?
The sky is the limit. We plan on expanding, maybe facility improvements including new technology like online payments and of course signing up to GetRooms.
Q8 Do you think a service like GetRooms is necessary for hostels?
To the extent that people know about the existence of GetRooms then its contribution can be invaluable. However, I think the unique location of certain universities and hostels will make it only sound to go to one hostel or the other instead of through GetRooms. Just my opinion though.
Q9. Do you think Hostels in Ghana are doing enough to satisfy the needs of their tenants?
Not really, more can be done. I think some hostels aim for the money more than the satisfaction of the patrons. I believe we should do the opposite. Get the patrons satisfied with the service and they will come again and again and recommend you to others.
Q10. Your advice to other hostel managers and what they can do to improve their hostel service?
To acknowledge that the customer is the king.
So there you have it, words of wisdom from the reigning hostel of the year. They will be live on GetRooms very soon so students of Ashesi University can look forward to the unique GetRooms experience. What do you think of Charlotte Court Hostel? Let us know in the comments below.
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