What is your career background, and how did you get into hospitality?

Before I joined the hospitality industry, I worked as a clinician at a private missionary hospital for one year, and then a government district referral hospital in mainland Tanzania, where I served for about four years.

What are your responsibilities at the hotel?

There’s only a small difference between working as a clinician in a hotel and a hospital. The role involves giving diagnoses after consultations, physical examinations, treatments, daily check on the progress of patients, and referrals in case of critical conditions. I meet with guests who have known or risky medial conditions and educate hotel staff on how to handle allergies. I also work with hospitals and ambulance service providers in case there is a medical emergency or a situation needing evacuation. Besides these, I ensure that staff and guest are free from all preventable diseases by teaching proper hand-washing techniques, food safety and hygiene, and first aid. As a hotel clinician, flexible timings are important as we could be summoned even after our usual working hours.

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What are some of the current trends in hospitality in Zanzibar?

To make the visit to Zanzibar memorable for guests, we strive to create a unique and authentic experiences by partnering and working with local vendors and travel companies. This allows guests to explore the local culture and enjoy native experiences.

What are some of the strategies you have developed for The Residence Zanzibar?

We are committed to delivering a heartfelt service with professionalism and competence, taking responsibility for our actions, acting with honesty and integrity at all times, and treating all people with respect and care. We take great pride in our work and pursue excellence in all that we do together, continuously seeking to learn and improve ourselves.

What are some of the challenges you face in your role?

Sometimes, guests may face side effects from some of the prophylactic medicines, and this affects their stay. Some guests are unable to come round to the fact that they have fallen sick during their vacation and expect to be given a magic pill that makes them feel better in a flash. Other times, nonadherence to medicines is also a big challenge, which affects the quality of care we are able to provide. Besides these, there is the constant challenge of managing my time and energy.

What is your ultimate goal?

To improve the quality of healthcare we are able to provide at The Residence Zanzibar, which will ensure that our resort guests are able to enjoy their stay with peace of mind. We want to deliver a consistent, coordinated and warm service, ensuring value for money to our  valued guests.

What would you say are your major achievements at your hotel?

My major achievement is being able to provide the highest quality patient care. I’ve been privileged to receive many positive client recommendations from our guests.