Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Happy New year 2014 from Arusha

Yes we have been quiet with our Arusha Tanzania hospitality updates but we promise you bigger and better things in 2014.We are so excited of all the changes our city of Arusha has been going through to enhance the tourism industry as a whole.
With international name brand hotels now eyeballing our city and region of Arusha 2014 is sure going to be an interesting year.Stay tuned for interview updates with Arusha hotels,bnb's, restaurant,tourists and safari experts planned for this coming year.
Happy New Year

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Arusha tourism and hospitality business

It's no secret that despite having the famous Tanzanite mines and all the beauty of Arusha city,the number one focus of everything that has made Arusha city famous and prosperous than many cities of Africa  is tourism.Every season hundreds of thousands of tourists from all works of life visit our city coming through by air,buses,even motorbikes.The city owes everything it has to the tourism business,which is the bread and butter for the economy and the businesses in Arusha.
The hospitality industry is however playing catch up with the increase number of tourists, businesses, universities that are making Arusha home,travel hub,business centers etc.One can say tourism and the hospitality business go hand in hand like an African clear blue sky.The hospitality industry has seen a sharp rise in investors both natives and foreigners trying to dip their hands on this cookie jar which may  be very profitable if done right.Competition is heating up every given day with restaurants wanting to out perform each other,hotels and accommodations adapting to differentiation techniques to catch their target market by doing everything in their power to provide quality accommodation,affordable prices,good food and flawless customer experience.Tricky as it may be these owners are trying their level best with the hand they have been dealt with like poor infrastructure,high taxes,tough business environment,high operating costs etc.
May we be able to embrace our city of Arusha Tanzania by giving it everything we got to make it better day by day ...  (Tumaini Cottage).

Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha accommodation,where we strive to be the best  safari accommodation along the northen circuit of Tanzania.Travellearn,volunteer and enjoy Tanzania for more information about us visit our website at www.tumainicottage.com .
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Monday, May 27, 2013

What not to do when planning a Tanzania safari




Don’t wait till the last minute, as every sane person  tell you, traveling to Tanzania takes money , time and careful planning.Waiting till the 11th hour will bite you hard, It’s a chaos like no other when you have to start the basics only a few weeks away from taking a safari. Simple questions like when do you take your malaria and typhoid pills,should you use travelers cheques, cash, or atm card. A mistake that many people make till it starts becoming overwhelming and frustrating, Traveling to Tanzania is a trip of a life time and so just like a running a marathon you need preparation and a game plan, so dont wait start today.

Don't fly all the way to Tanzania, and then try to book a safari and accommodation once you get here. Stories from ultimate backpackers have listed this way of traveling among the best and cheapest way to go on an African safari. This might work for some, but hell for most people, not only do you have to pass the language barrier wall once you get to Tanzania, but also the touts in the street coming to you from every direction each one claiming to have  "The best deal"  and so what might sound like a good idea at first,might become more of a hustle than you ever bargained for.

Don't send your hard earned money to some company without doing your research. There are millions of so called agencies and tour companies that claim they can plan a safari or trekking mountains Kilimanjaro/Meru. But  unlike many other business transactions, there's a great possibility of being scammed in several ways,one is either that company doesn't exist or two the company is able to  provide the service but not at the quality of the services you paid for. Some companies are legitimate and probably provide the best services at an affordable rate more than others but a little research on your part may go a long way to make sure you know who you are dealing with and a peace of mind.

Don’t just agree to the cheapest price. Just remember that if it sounds too good to be true ..."It probably is”. You should put under consideration questions about the quality, safety and experience,knowing how safe you are, how your next meal is cooked and by whom, is your truck well equipped for that safari or if your guides have the experience they claim to have should be the main factor rather than saving a few dollars here and there.There are thousands of stories from tourists that can probably write a book about how to go about this but please look at your budget  and  how adventurous you are in such matters then make the choice you are more comfortable with.




Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha tourist accommodation dedicated in providing quality and unbiased information to tourists and companies all over the world about Arusha city and Tanzania in general more information www.tumainicottage.com.

Also Arusha accommodation on facebook at http://facebook.com/tumainicottage
Arusha accommodation on twitter at http://twitter.com/tumainicottage
Or call us at
784-588-698 TZ
317-9871066 US
210-268-4166 US



Sunday, April 21, 2013

Rating Arusha accommodations



A question in most tourists minds before entering our great city of Arusha, and also a  lingering issue among hotels, lodges, bnb’s and guest houses owners. It is also a genuine concern for the Tanzania travel industry as a whole which has in recent years tried to put in place a body that rates these facilities in a uniform manner.
Most western countries have a system that rates their accommodations considering everything from the location, the type of the building, the facilities included (business facilities, elevators,gyms,spas,pool etc), modern convenience, customer service etc.Unfortunately for most of the accommodations in Africa it can be a hit and miss. Some of the most beautiful accommodations in Tanzania  especially in Arusha city  don’t fit those specific criteria defined in the western nations.Entrepreneurs in most 3rd world countries can only do so much to get through that huddle by making sure their facilities are clean, provide quality customer service, invest heavily in their buildings and create their own infrastructure where there's non.Basic things like lights on the streets towards their accommodations, building nice roads, power outages, water outages, the neighborhood surrounding buildings etc,are  totally out of their control and they can only hope that the hefty taxes they are paying will someday work in their favor.
We hope people can rate accommodations  by taking in account all the effort,hard work and dedication these owners have put into their businesses by creating ambiance sometimes in the midst of almost nothing, a creation by the way that provides the much needed employment  and development  of these areas which may somehow motivate others to follow suit as it can be seen in various areas in Arusha city Tanzania.


Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha's choice accommodation,providing excellent accommodation,comfortable beds,good food and excellent customer service.More online at www.tumainicottage.com  or call 784-588-698.Our United States customers can call local at 3179871066 and 2102684166.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Investing in Arusha hospitality industry


Caution
Investing on Arusha hospitality industry is not for the faint-hearted, there are no concrete numbers or reliable researches to look into before pouring your hard earned money to what might either be a money pit or a gold mine.Here are a few things to consider.

Infrastructure
Power outages,power shortages,water supply,few suppliers,bad roads (some of the finest accommodation found in the cut). These are completely out of the hotels,lodges,Inn and accommodation control,despite of millions of dollars invested by business owners you are not guaranteed to have a a good road to your accommodation,water is a hit or miss,and most of the time you have to create your own supply chain which is expensive and time consuming.As a business owner you have to take all this into account in order to set your prices and be competitive.

Tax
The taxation is an eye opener considering the fact that the taxes paid dont reflect the infrastructure it produces.Tourist complain about things that the taxes should supposedly have paid for like no lights on the streets,no paved side walks etc, making it hard for hotels to compete and maintain certain international standards without charging an arm and a leg.As a result accommodation can be very expensive comparing to the services provided putting a dent on the hospitality business as a whole.Accommodations can only hope that the tax man with the heavy hand and  no breaks or future plans to help this thriving industry might change his mind and soon.

Workforce
A tide that is slowly changing but still has some challenges along the way. With schools openning in Arusha and Dar-es-Salaam to train the hospitality industry for customer service,management and restaurant services.Most accommodations are moving to the right direction by hiring trained staff,but the elephant in the room is Tanzania still faces language barriers comparing to it's neighboring countries which tend to speak better "English" it being the number one tourist used  language,more companies need to either teach or spend money to get people that speak the language to provide better customer service to their international customers.

Wishing you the best in your Arusha Hospitality investment..Hakuna Matata

Sponsored by
Proving that excellent customer service,quality accommodation,good food, can be found in Arusha Tanzania,for all your accommodation needs visit us at www.tumainicottage.com or call us at 784-588-698.

Sunday, February 17, 2013

Arusha accommodation classifications


Once and for all putting an end to the accommodation classification confusion for customers visiting Arusha Tanzania.  The city is known by many tourists around the world to be E.Africa's capital safari hub and is also home to the most popular accommodations in Tanzania.  While blessed with hundreds of thousands of tourists coming to our city every year efforts to sustain the demand there has led to a rush of  entrepreneurs taking advantage by building accommodations all around the city.  In the past tourist had no choice but to have their tour companies place them in accommodations wherever they saw fit, well all that has changed  and for the first time customers have a choice on where to stay in Arusha, what type of accommodation is perfect for their needs, budget and standard.  So vital is this process that most experienced tourists may even swear it is this choice that sets a tone for the whole Tanzania safari experience.  Make a good choice you are in for a treat, make a mistake and your Tanzania visit is a disaster before it even begins.
And so according to the various Arusha accommodations, this is the information tourists can use as a road map to get familiar with the big 3 classifications of accommodations mainly hotels, lodges/  b&b and guest houses.

Hotels
Most have a full time reception personnel, more that 15 rooms, various en suite bedrooms, room service, full time restaurants, inclusive breakfast, sometimes a large garden with a public pool, a public bar, conference facilities, airport transfer (extra charge), Wi-Fi internet(extra charge) and business facilities.  Guests are mainly tourists with few locals.

Lodges and B&B
Full or part time reception personnel, 15 rooms or less, en-suite accommodations and some shared bathrooms, some have room service, some have restaurants(most on part time basis) or breakfast nook, inclusive breakfast, Wi-fi internet (extra charge).  Some have a garden and a pool, some provide airport transfers (extra charge), some have conference facilities, guests are a mix of tourists and locals.

Guest houses 
Full or part time reception personnel, 5 to 10 rooms, mostly shared bathrooms, no restaurant, no room service, no airport transfer, no conference facilities, no pool, no conference facilities, most have no internet access, no business facilities. The guests are mainly locals.

Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha tourist accommodation, supporting the tourism of our great country of Tanzania.  For all your accommodation needs contact us today.
See and interact with us at
www.tumainicottage.com
www.facebook.com/tumainicottage
www.twitter.com/tumainicottage
Or call us at
255-784-588-698
Or for United States call
317-987-1066
210-268-4166

Saturday, January 12, 2013

2013 Arusha hospitality news updates.

Tanzania tourism has been on the roll in the past few years and Arusha city has been a recepient of this great fortune.The hospitality business has been short of a miracle,the city is experiencing a boom like never before (more than the Tanzanite rush back in the early 90's),this E.African safari capital hub seeing hundreds of thousands a tourist a year has sparked the interests of hundreds of intrepreneurs who have jumped in and started to create a hospitality standard of it's own ,catering for tourists with everything from high end restaurants spreading out like mashrooms,massage parlors with therapists providing inhouse and making outcalls,Coffee shops making a name for themselves using the rich aromatic peaberry Tanzania coffee  and hotels,lodges,Inns and guest houses revamping their facilities and services to accommodate more international clients.These are strategic,exciting and progressive moves that only time will tell the outcome but there's a feeling one gets talking to these hardworking self made business owners, that it's going to  be a boom that last for generations and they are ready to sacrifice it all to rip the benefits.It's been a long time coming but it's music to the ears of the owners of these establishments especially when the tourist board announced that Tanzania is projecting about a million tourist by the  year 2013.Not the best number compared to the neighbouring country but never the less a promising future for our great city.
It's going to be a good year in this business and if you are a tourist and reading this bless us with your visit by getting online and booking a Tanzania safari,volunteering, mountian climbing or just a cultural tour and  if you are a business owner look inside your business and see how you can make the best out of the Arusha tourist boom while it lasts.We all can make a difference welcome to Arusha Tanzania.

Brought to you by Tumaini Cottage Arusha tourist choice accommodation providing quality accommodation, delicious food, excellent customer services and free safari consulting. Book your Arusha accommodation today online at www.tumainicottage.com or call 255-784-588698 and for United States call 317-987-1066.
Also follow Arusha accommodation on facebook at www.facebook.com/tumainicottage
Follow Arusha accommodation on twitter at www.twitter.com/tumainicottage