Interview DG GRAND HOTEL DJIBLOHO Monsieur VICENZO PRESTI

Challenge International

You are the manager in charge of Grand Hotel Djibloho, we have the opportunity to talk with you about the grand opening Genychology and fertility at Grand Hotel recently in Equatorial Guinea which will soon welcome a lot of patients from around the world can you shred light on this event.

Vicenzo Presti

JThank you very much Afrique Media and Challenge international without forgetting the entire team that came to cover this event.

Actually, it was a big event for us, first, we had the presence of the head of state from central Africa which happens to be a very close neighbor and friend to his Excellency the president of Equatorial Guinea. We also had several dignitaries, ministers, politicians, entrepreneurs, decision makers in the country and several others.

The event itself was important because we were able to open, inside the grand hotel Djibloho, one of the best Gynecologist and Fertility center that to me will server people from all over the world and not only Africa. Of course, they are different fertility centers but this one is special because it sterms from a broad experience from the clinic Arpa Medica which manages the clinic and is one of the most important centers in Spain, recognized world wide.

Am confident that this will be a very big opportunity to all those who are living in Equatorial Guinea and those living in Africa. This is a special help and treatment center.

Challenge International

We will talk about The Luxury hotel Management(LHM) which is handling the Grand Hotel Djibloho.The measures put in place by the Grand Hotel to limit the spread of coronavirus.Equatorial Guinea as a tourist destination and the next perspective for the country to be more open to visitors. LHM is handling la Colina Luxury Hotel and boutique in Malabo which is a fantastic place. It welcomes, business people from all around Africa and the world. Can you Tell us more about this place?

Vicenzo Presti

Luxury hotel management is a company that came into Equatorial Guinea to manage just the grand hotel Djibloho as a first step. After 4years, other entrepreneurs and owners of hotels asked us to help them in the management of their hotels. The secondwasLaColinaLuxuryHoteland Boutique, which was opened in February just before the coronavirus started.So during the lockdown, operation at the hotel was put on hold. We could only reopen the hotel again in September after the lockdown.However, activities resumed easily and today, it is one of most visited places which welcomes visitors from the country and abroad. But as people come to celebrate different events at the hotel, of course, we cannot accept more than 50% of the people based on meaures put in place to limit the spread of the covid-19.

Challenge International

The Grand Hotel Djibloho received the president of Central Africa Republic, Faustin-Archange Touadéra alongside president Obiang to open the Center for genychology and fertility of Oyala. How important was this ceremony?

Vicenzo Presti

I would say this was one of the most important opportunity that the hotel has had at the moment. Not forgetting that we are in the period of the covid-19 pandemic. So being able to open this centre of fertility was something really important to the president of Central Africa Republic who came here just to inaugurate the place, that was something intersting and Unbelievable. I am sure that the center will be of great help to people who want to have babies but are not able to have it in a natural way. The centre will help with its fertility helper and will also be a great opportunity for everyone and women who are having any kind of gynecological complications. They no longer have to travel abroad to have their check or to be treated from any kind of diseases.

Challenge International

All those who enter this hotel are marveled. Tell us about the this extremely beautiful place.

Vicenzo Presti

Of course even if you have been here before, each time you come back, there will be always something new to get your attention because this place is very big. Sometimes, even if you think you know more about the hotel, sure you don’t know because you cannot see everything in 24-hours or 48 hours, all the services that this hotel offers. We have a very big golf

course all around the river, in the centre of the forest, and then you can go to the snack bar where you can have your fast food and enjoy the big swimming pool. You can go to the spa and do all kinds of interesting things like having a massage, go to the Turkish park. Go to the Sauna another swimming pool that we have inside the spa, jacuzzi etc. So you can do several things in the hotel. Also, different kinds of gastronomy. The typical Pan African kitchen. We have Italian and international kitchens too.

We have a very big conference centre, a banqueting room. For instance, we created another big conference centre inside our main hall just to make it much more closer to the place we had to inaugurate. I mean, let me say to everybody, at the grand hotel Djiblo, you can do everything you want.

Challenge International

Your staff demonstrated a fantastic management of guess during the inuguration of the clinic. What is the secret behind this success?

Vicenzo Presti

Yes, our staff are very well trained and they received training 24-hours a day. I mean every single minute they are trained because we cannot juse train one person for one time and then forget it. This is a hospitalserviceanditisreallyimportant and if you are not well trained, if you don’t repeat every single minute something that you’re doing, you will not do it well.

Challenge International

Let’s now talk about coronavirus and the measure put in place by grand hotel Djiblo to limit the spread of this pandemic.We saw a strick respect of measures being respected here. What can you say about this?

Vicenzo Presti

Well, I can say say since March 16 when this pandemic began in Equatorial Guinea, and all over the world, we started adapting all the most important measures. I should say that this place is also very big. There’s a lot of space and that helps easy to apply all barrer measures. However, our staff have been well trained on how to manage client and always respecting the measures, wearing a mask, washing hands, keeping distance and others. If we all maintain hygien and sanitation, am sure we will overcome this pandemic easily.And I must say I am very proud of our staff and I thank God for everything has been going on well.

Challenge International

So what assurance are u giving business people intending to travel into Equatorial Guinea regarding the measures you have put in place to manage the coronavirus at the hotel.

Vicenzo Presti

Let me make it clear that if you reach Equatorial Guinea, you will be put under strict control and be sure that you will not contract the virus considering you always respect all barrer measures. It’s not those who are coming into the country that has to follow the procedure but also those living in the hotel has to follow the procedures.

Challenge International

Let’s now talk about Equatorial Guinea as a tourist destination. Many say Equatorial Guinea is rich in potential but believe it is not easy to come here.How open is the country to visitors since we last had an interview here on this topic, what has changed?

Vicenzo Presti

Everything is changing all around the world, and even the pandemic has caused great changed now in the world, but still I can say that the country has a very great potential in the tourism sector. However, we cannot pressure people to come here because there’s coronavirus which is worldwide and has affected the tourism sector. But the country is doing a lot to be ready to open the tourism sector when the situation is under control.

Challenge International

Is there any visa restrictions for those coming from Cameroon, Central Africa, and other countries? And as a tourism expect, what is the government doing to make the country more open to tourist.

Vicenzo Presti

First of all, the country has put in place very important infrastructure, don’t forget that this country is very small and they already have five airports. On how to let people get into the country, they are working on the visa online and I’m sure it will be available soon.In the maintime, we’ll have to do also a lot of marketing all over the world be it in African countries and internationally to presentthebestthingsthatthiscountry offers to visitors and the tourism sector.

Challenge International

Tell us more about the tourism and hospitality school which you have here at hotel Djibloho.

Vicenzo Presti

When someone starts with a training program at the school and is successful he/she becomes a staff of grand hotel Djiblo.

What i should say is, this is a training hotel, this is a training and hospitality school of Equatorial Guinea.We were talking earlier about La Colina Luxury Hotel and Boutique. It is not only La Colina that we manage. We also manage another small resort which is another resting and relaxation spot in Bioko Island.

So all those working in La Colina and another places have all been trained byGrandHotelDjibloho.SoIcansay Grand hotel Djibloho is a training hotel school.