Full Moon Hotels setting unique entertainment standard

Travellers are always on the lookout guests services from operators in the hospitality industry, Full Moon Hotels, Owerri boasts that, it offers such cutting-edge services including a novel Karaoke lounge, watertight security, over 129 cocktails in a friendly environment. In this interview DANIEL ETIM, the food and beverage manager specifically tells DIKACHI ELEMBA what karaoke is all about and why Fullmoon Hotel is different from the pack. EXCERPTS Can you walk us through Full Moon Hotels?

IAM DANIEL ETIM, I am the food and beverage manager (F&B) of Full Moon Hotel. Here we are operating on a five-star standard whereby we have different facilities ranging from lounge, restaurant, a pool bar, Karaoke lounge , coffee shop, we have the barbing salon, Spa where you can massage , we have where you can book your flight tickets as well as classic waiters and waitresses. What we have added to our system now is the Karaoke lounge, because what we are trying to do in Fullmoon is that, we want the hotel to be a home away from home.

What is special about this Karaoke HAT KARAOKE is all about?

Karaoke is where people come to sing, listen to music and make themselves happy. We did not really open a Karaoke lounge, we made it exclusive Lounge. Karaoke has days we operate .In the restaurant, we have also where we do live chef and live band where by you will be eating and people will be singing and you listen to good music and it makes you happy. We invite everybody to come and have a feel of the karaoke. We have a cocktail world, we have about 129 cocktails in Full Moon, there are different types of hot drinks in this standard Karaoke. It is not the type people see before, it is exclusive.

Do guests pay extra to go into Karaoke?

No, you do not pay any money for Karaoke because it is a form of entertainment offered typically in a bar where people come and have opportunity to sing. So people just come with their families buy drinks and are free to sing.

And you can sing the type of song you can, you know song really drives people, you can choose any of the songs you love to sing. Now most people use what they call projector but we have about three classic standard bigger screens. Our Karaoke is built in upstairs where you meet different types of people. It is not crowded because we also observe the COVID-19 rules. Many people sing and you see many people crying because their songs are touching people.

Since it is exclusively located, how could first times comers locate it?

It is an exceptional VIP lounge, we have a security guide that walks you from the step to the Karaoke lounge, we have also a bar attendant who receives you, walks you down to your seat and takes your order and makes you feel like a king you are .

Many hotels in Owerri are rebranding because of the Yuletide, is Fullmoon doing same, and is the Karaoke a form of rebranding?

Full Moon is a classic hotel that has a very high level of guests always that patronise us. Most of the hotels in Owerri are flashy but inside do not have service but in Full Moon here, there is what we call ‘you have a service ‘.

We do not just rebrand, we make things to be standard. If you lodge in Full Moon here, you do not think of going out because everything is here, we have a saloon; we have where you repair your shoes where you can clean your car. In this Christmas we are coming out with many things, as we are talking many people are booking tables early. However, we also have to control crowd because many dignitaries are here. There is security to guide you and there are places you cannot go anyhow because of the dignitaries we have.

What services do you offer that stands you out?

We offer professional services and our staff are well trained. All the staff of food and beverage department in Full Moon go to food handlers tests. They give you what we call, personalised service. As you are entering the hotel, there are trained waiters that usher you into the restaurant, walk you down to your seat, and take your order. Therefore, we offer classic service.

Who trains the staff and how often?

Our training is two times a month but the in-house training is everyday. I have experienced a lot of training in my life. Thonbery trained me, so I have a lot of training and I am impacting the ones I have in them. I also go out to get more knowledge and give back to them. The supervisors train the normal staff and managers train etc.

Before we resume duty, we also have to do what is called briefing. Briefing is when you tell everybody the availabilities so that even the waiters and waitresses will know what we have and this briefing is done on daily basis, every morning and every evening. As an hotelier, before you resume work, you must have to do briefing so that you can understand how the shifting is, what happened in the morning while you resume in the evening.

Why do you think Full Moon is on a class of its own?

By the grace of God, I have worked in ten states. I have been able to walk around, the beauty of a hotel does not make the standard of the hotel but in Full Moon, we maintain our standard. Once you come into the hotel, you will see the friendliness of the staff, they are always friendly and warming. Now when you talk about Full Moon, you talk about service, your order is not delayed; the staff are well hygiene, well dressed, pleasant in personal appearance. We are not competing with any hotel.