Salute To the Spirit of Enterprise

Remarks By Mr. Oseloka H. Obaze, MD/CEO Selonnes Consult At The Best Western Meloch Hotel Black and White Ball Awka, Sunday 27 March, 2016

It is an honour to join those here present on this blessed and beautiful Easter Day for the Meloch Hotel Black and White Ball. I thank Elochukwu and Maureen Gwacham and the Meloch Hotel management team for their kind invitation, and for asking me to speak here this evening. To my fellow guests and others present, I say happy Easter. 

We are gathered here to pay tribute and salute the spirit of private enterprise. Slightly over one year ago, the Best Western Meloch Hotel opened in Awka to rev reviews, admiration and gratitude.  Before then, Awka was almost a no-name town, as far as the hospitality industry went. Yes, there were hotels, here and there, but none that belonged to any internationally recognized brand.

There were indeed a few notable hotels that aspired and worked diligently to give the industry a lift; Parknonian, De Geo Gold, Finotel, Trigpoint and Cosmilla, all worked exceedingly hard to uplift an industrial sector crying for dire attention. We salute them all.

But as we all know, good hotels are not just about the structures; it's about excellent services and interpersonal relations. Indeed, hospitality is about those tiny little things that makes a world of difference; ambience, attention to details, cleanliness, punctuality and courtesies to the guests. If I were to sum up these attributes in one phrase, it would be   -- efficiency driven by personal commitment. And here at MELOCH we have witnessed and enjoyed that attribute.

In life, there are many things people do without thinking through its implications.  Often, parents name their children after themselves or after their loving parents, all out of love and great hope.  The process also immortalizes the name. That child, who may be called Junior, carries the burden of living up to the name.  Yet, such branding could easily backfire, if perchance, a child runs afoul of the law, or does something very unworthy.  But were the child to excel; the branding becomes a matter of success, applause and acclaim.

Similarly when we invent or create something, or build something we cherish, we brand it with our name. The salutary part of that branding is not the showing off, but the affirmation that this product is of such high quality, that you can back it up with your name. It also conveys a commitment, to working hard to sustain the core values and high quality of that brand, no matter what.

So, this hotel was named MELOCH - it does sound Jewish; doesn't it? And the coinage derives from the names of Maureen and Elochi.  In putting their names on this brand, they have put their money, talent, and dedication into this institution, and have vowed to stand by it.

Today, we salute them. We salute their vision, their spirit of enterprise and their decision to create wealth by employing labour, rather than seeking to create wealth by being employees. That, my friends, is the true spirit of entrepreneurship.

I've been privileged to travel to many countries and to lodge in some of the best hotels, like the Dorchester in London, the Ritz Carlton in Berlin, the Sheraton Luxury Collection in Addis Ababa. I have also slept in some of the shabbiest hotels, some flea-infested, in the course of my career. Believe me these hotel were not Nigerian hotels.  But here is the positive lesson. In all my travels, I have come out with a singular wisdom: a good hotel that offers you comfort, value-for-money and a-home-away-from-home is never about the size.  Yes, furnishing and finishing matters. Huge edifices also count. But it is the human spirit, the warmth, the dedication of the staff that makes all the difference. 

We are all witnesses to how some hotels start off great and several months later, become so badly run down.  Blame the clientele. Blame poor management. Not exactly! Such things happen, because those in charge don't invest themselves sufficiently in the hotels they run. If you are not fully invested in a brand, you have no loyalty to that brand and cannot market that brand efficiently.

So today we salute the owners and management of MELOCHHOTEL, for being pioneers, not of hotels, but of the branding that put Anambra and Awka on the global hospitality market with a name brand hotel, fully backed by their own names. We salute all those hotels that came before MELOCH; the pioneers which are now MELOCH’s collaborators, competitors and enablers.

Recently, when BMW motors turned 100.  It received a goodwill message from its main competitor, Mercedes-Benz.  The published message was instructive.  It said:  “Happy birthday, BMW! Here’s to another 100 years of competition.”   You see, Mercedes Benz was founded 30 years before BMW.  But with the founding of BMW, Mercedes Benz could no longer assume that it dominated the market. It had to work twice as hard to stay on top. Stiff competition from BMW made Mercedes Benz good and top class. So, as you mark your anniversary, be glad that you have competitors. Compete with them keenly, but also show them the respect they deserve. Together you can lift the hospitality industry in Awka.

MELOCH Hotel has already made a name for itself. But it must learn to tell its own story.   If this hotel was in Europe orthe United States as you walk into the lobby, you would see a sign or picture that says, “Princess Diana Stayed Here”; “President Kennedy Stayed Here” “We hosted Barcelona” or "Arsenal Stayed Here".   In the case of MELOCH, I can safely say: “Thailand Trade Mission to Anambra StayedHere.” "General Gowon slept here".  Or if we wanted to go cultural, “Ukwa Achinaka I, Stayed Here.”

This hotel has done well.  It has carved a niche for itself. Yet,it would not be so good, or so well-regarded, but for our collective patronage.  So, as we gather here tonight, let us affirm to redouble our support for this hospitality institution in our state.  Let us invite our friends from out of state and from overseas, to come to Anambra and in doing so, tell them with pride that they can stay at Best Western MELOCH Hotel.

Thank you and God bless.



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Mr. Oseloka H. Obaze
Managing Director/CEO
Selonnes Consult Ltd. / OHO & Associates