Pum (www.pum.nl) is an independent organisation supporting private businesses in development countries with managerial and organisational support from senior advisors on a voluntary basis.

Over the past four years I have supported various hotels and restaurants in several countries. Each of these has its own story and its own specific challenges.

Rwanda
Jacob Tumwine and his wife Hortence are an ambitious couple. They have travelled to China and took two months to buy everything they needed to fulfil their dream. They created a 16 room up-market hotel on the shores of lake Kivu. It took them three years to build Moriah Hill Resort in Kibuye. They contacted PUM for management support and I spent two weeks with them and their staff organising the restaurant, kitchen and rooms division. As part of this process a PUM Chef trained the kitchen staff in running their kitchen to western standards.

Tanzania
Arusha is the gateway to the major sights in Tanzania: the Ngorongoro crater, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti plains and much more. Pamodja Lodge was established in 2005 and was in the process of preparing for a new phase when I became involved. Their objective was to be more professional, improve their marketing and deliver a better service to their clients. Ultimately becoming more professional.

During my two weeks I helped them develope a “route to the future” with a business plan they could work with.

Russia
In Vologda the Nikolaevskiy Hotel (60 rms) wanted to be the best hotel in town. To help them achieve this objective I trained the serving staff in the restaurant, assisted in improving rooms’ maintenance, introduced customer focus and instructed the management on pricing, marketing and general management. Out of interest: with temperatures being at minus 30 C the main management issue was to keep the rooms warm and the water flowing…

Uganda
Amos Wekesa is a very successful entrepreneur. He owns one of the first African owned safari companies in Uganda. But running a lodge in the deserted Kibale Forest is something quite different… During my stay I supported Lodge Manager Emanuel in establishing his organisation to meet the standards of today’s demanding tourists. I helped them in transition “from warm beer and cold showers, to cold beer and warm showers”. Which is not an easy task in the middle of the bush…