adminMercy Ngwebvu
WOMEN have always been known to persevere, be it in the home or at the workplace. Often times, they have proven that there are many things they can do even in strictly conservative conditions.Nelson Mandela’s quote: “The greatest glory in living, lies not in never falling but in rising up every time we fall,” well befits women.
Speaking of successful and resilient women at the workplace, The Manica Post recently caught up with an ambitious woman in the tourism and hospitality industry who did not hesitate to share her testimony about work and her rise to stardom in her preferred field.
She is the general manager of Village Inn Hotel located in Nyanga village. She has a rich history in the hotel industry.
Her name is Phyllis Chiganga.
“‘I had actually retired but found my services needed here. I have incessant passion for the industry. Village Inn is in the Rochdale area of Nyanga where I happen to reside and I am too happy to contribute to its success.
“My experience and exposure at home and abroad continue to pay dividend. My experience with international hotels is overwhelming. This industry is progressive and one has to embrace new ideas and technology,” said Chiganga.
She is spearheading the refurbishment of Village Inn.
“Thereafter we intend to upgrade our conference rooms so that we are able to deliver a total package to suit our guests’ needs and expectations. Training is ongoing. The team spirit prevailing between management and staff is the driving force behind Village Inn’s success,” she said.
She joined the tourism industry in 1983 when she worked at Bulawayo Holiday Inn as a front office manager and room divisions manager until 1985.
In 1986, Chiganga worked as the food and beverage manager at the then Manica Hotel, now Amber Hotel.
She moved to Crowne Plaza (Monomotapa) where she also served as room divisions manager from 1987 to 1993.
1994 saw Chiganga joining Christmas Pass Hotel as general manager until she resigned in September 1997. She moved to Mountview Hotel and worked there until 2003. While some may want to call her a job hopper, Chiganga has proved that she is a professional because of the experience she earned along the way.
“More experience means a more diverse background. It can be very helpful when a person is able to pull from a number of different experiences in different industries or organisations,” she said.
With this diverse background, an individual becomes a much more attractive candidate with a lot more relevant and interesting experience.
Subsequently, the candidate will bring that experience to other organisations something appealing for any employer.
Asked whether or not she has plans to run her own businesses considering that she has the expertise, Chiganga said she just wants in every way she can to help Zimbabwe’s tourism flourish.
Said Chiganga: “It is not like I do not want to do my own things, but at the moment the country’s tourism industry is ailing and investing in it now may be a miscalculation. Instead, I just want to use my experience to serve the nation by working in its various institutions. I came to Village Inn because the place was lagging behind so I felt the grey areas had to be cleared so as to achieve flawless services in hospitality.”
Being a woman of such expertise, it would, however, be surprising if she does not have something up her sleeve in terms of developing Village Inn.
Chiganga revealed that she wants Village Inn to go international by 2018, adding that the place is already under renovations to have conference rooms.
“Speaking on behalf of the whole Village Inn team, we intend to make Village Inn an internationally acclaimed product by 2018. We aspire to continue offering personalised service to our clients. We believe that this is possible because we are a small hotel and one on one services with our clients will not be much of a challenge,” said Chiganga.
The tourism industry devotee, however, declined elaborating more on her personal life.
Online Reporter