The hospitality industry in Africa has witnessed a massive transformation in recent years. This is largely due to the hard work and immense contributions of leading hospitality experts like Jael Agyei Akyeampong whose professionalism, tenacity, courage and diligence led to a remarkable change in the hospitality and tourism industry.
Jael Agyei Akyeampong Makes Her Mark In the Tourism and Hospitality Industry
The hospitality industry in Africa has witnessed a massive transformation in recent years. This is largely due to the hard work and immense contributions of leading hospitality experts like Jael Agyei Akyeampong whose professionalism, tenacity, courage and diligence led to a remarkable change in the hospitality and tourism industry.
JAEL AGYEI
JAEL AGYEI AKYEAMPONG is a young gifted lady who has been acknowledged as a major trailblazer in Africa’s fast-growing hospitality industry. Her prowess and competence are undeniably incontestable as she has made significant contributions towards shaping the tourism and hospitality industry in Africa. Her dexterity and excellent leadership have t r a n s f o r m e d the hospitality business in Ghana and across Africa. S e a s o n e d with years of e x p e r i e n c e in the tourism and hospitality industry within the UK and Ghana, Jael Agyei Akyeampong has distinguished herself as the best female hospitality leader in Africa. As the head of a top hotel in Ghana, Jael holds the forte as a pioneer female leader in the hospitality industry in Africa. She shares her indelible profile in an exclusive interview with WAM.
Making Her Mark In the Tourism and Hospitality Industry
“Jael Agyei Akyeampong is a trailblazer in Africa’s hospitality industry, transforming the sector in Ghana and beyond. With years of experience in the UK and Ghana, she’s recognized as the top female hospitality leader in Africa. Her leadership continues to shape the industry.” #HospitalityLeader #AfricanExcellence #Tourism #Leadership
General Manager at RB Park-Hill Hotel in Ghana.
Born in Ghana, Jael Agyei Akyeampong is a hospitality and tourism professional with over ten years of active operational experience in the Tourism and Hotel Industry. She is currently the General Manager at RB Park-Hill Hotel in Ghana. She is also the Director of Administration at the African Association of Women in Tourism and Hospitality (AAWTH), a not-for-profit organization that was recently endorsed as Ghana’s first-ever association for Women in Hospitality by the Ministry of Tourism, Art and Culture. Jael holds a B.A degree in International Hospitality Business Management from the University of Derby, UK after her successful college days at the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London, CONEL where she studied travel and tourism. She was awarded a certificate in Travel and Exploration from the British Airways Training Academy and the ESSM 19, Essential Skills for Supervisors and Managers Certificate by Marriott International.
Our target is to get to the top so let’s work hand in hand to uplift Ghana’s image through hospitality.”
She began her tourism career when she worked as a travel advisor in notable travel agencies in the UK and worked in Xtreme Travel, USA. She also did voluntary work for Nightingale House Hospice and BAWSO Ltd in Wales, UK. She completed her internship with JW Marriott in Central London then she came to Ghana to work with Marriott Hotel in Accra. She started working as an “At Your Service” personnel before she was promoted to a supervisory level. Thereafter, she got the opportunity to work as a front office manager at Parkhill Hotel. Through hard work and dedication, she received the honour of being promoted to the rank of General Manager of Parkhill Hotel which is now rebranded as RB Park-Hill hotel. With all these feats, Jael is elated to continue her impressive work in the hotel business. She expresses her resolve to uphold the tenets of professionalism and hard work in the industry and encourages her female colleagues to strive towards attaining excellence. “I want to congratulate my colleagues at work and other professionals in the industry and urge especially the females in this sector to push to achieve greater heights.
“Women should be given more top roles in hospitality and tourism.
Jael, who is a strong gender advocate, believes the industry is a viable avenue to contribute to job creation and economic growth through the inclusive participation of men and women in the sector. She posits that provisions should be made to accommodate more women in the top positions in the hospitality sector. In her words, she said that women must strive for the highest levels of success in the hospitality and tourism industries.
The industry, governments, and the private sector should plan towards refocusing policies to attract investment into the hospitality and tourism sectors.” Jael is committed to supporting her female folks in the industry and those who are passionate about working in hotels and other hospitality firms. She encourages women leadership aspirants to remain resolute and fearless. She believes that the tourism and hospitality sector can achieve remarkable success if more women are encouraged to assume leadership roles. Her faith in the leadership of women in the sector stems from her conviction that women are better players in the hospitality industry because they are passionate, zealous, dedicated and natural caregivers. Jael extends her unabashed support to women in the industry by providing mentorship and coaching sessions. She also provides advisory services to help women acquire the right knowledge and skills that will facilitate growth and build their careers. She pledged her commitment to empower women with the essential skills to work their way to the top. As the Director of AAWTH, she affirms that the hospitality industry needs to encourage diversity through the inclusion of women in leadership and management of hotels and other hospitality businesses.
“The future of hospitality leadership is for women and I’m ready to contribute my part.”
“Women should be able to afford to invest in and own hotels and resorts, brands should receive an in-flux of creative owners/investors who bring them fresh ideas, and guests should have an extraordinary hospitality experience tailored exclusively for them.” She adjudicates her vision to empower more women in the industry to take up senior roles and become positive influences to other women who are aspiring for top positions. Her vision spans from her passion for promoting advancement and innovation and her commitment to helping other women excel in the tourism and hospitality industry. The African Association of Women in Tourism and Hospitality where Jael serves as Director of Administration focuses on assisting women in the industry to attain a higher level of position through the implementation of its goal to empower, promote and develop women to key roles in tourism and hospitality. Because of this, Jael is optimistic about propagating her vision for women in the industry and expanding her reach to those within and outside the shores of Ghana and the African continent. She strives to help more women create sustainable businesses and mentor them into tourism and hospitality leadership roles. Jael possesses exceptional leadership qualities and her managerial expertise is unparalleled. Her expertise in the hospitality industry is grounded in excellent customer service delivery, critical thinking and analysis, logical reasoning, strong communication skills, strategic planning, production, human resources management, people and employee management, client satisfaction, and administration and operations management. The General Manager of RB Park-Hill Hotel is a recipient of several prestigious awards. In 2014, she won an excellence award from the College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London for the Best Travel and Tourism Student. She also won AVOW, a voluntary award recognition for her voluntary work with Nightingale House Hospice and BAWSO in Wales, UK. In 2021, she was nominated as the Rising Star for The Pyne Hospitality and Tourism Awards held in Nigeria. She also won the Most Admired Female Hospitality Professional from the prestigious Hospitality Awards. The business she currently manages, Park-Hill Hotel was also adjudged the Most Accommodating Hotel in Ghana by the Hospitality Awards, Ghana. The multiple award-winning and talented hospitality leader is also the founder and CEO of the Haven Honeymoon Concierge, a travel agency that provides travel advisory and operational services to clients all across Africa and the world. Likewise, she is a mentor and coach. She offers training/mentoring sessions for women in the hospitality industry. She also provides coaching sessions and assists students with their career paths. Jael Agyei Akyeampong is currently working on her project, Teens Tourism and Hospitality Club which is aimed at providing mentorship and coaching to teenagers between the ages of 13 – 19 years and equipping them with essential skills and the right knowledge that will help them with their career paths and pursuing higher education. The club will also introduce educational trips, and educational seminars, assist in study abroad programs and partnerships, internships, and hospitality exchange programs and provide an avenue for young people to broaden their horizons, expand their networks, and improve their abilities. Jael is determined to empower and mentor students and teenagers through the Teens Tourism and Hospitality Club. The club which values coaching excellence, lifelong learning, service and achievements has a mission to create awareness through training and coaching of students on the diverse career opportunities available in the hospitality and tourism industry. The vision of the club is to become a dynamic tourism and hospitality club that will contribute to the development of the industry in Ghana.
