Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel, South Africa’s Innovative, Secure and Award-Winning Hospitality Establishment with an International Touch of Luxury

Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel, a four-star rated secure and award-winning hospitality establishment situated in Emalahleni/Witbank, Mpumalanga is flying the South African flag high through its innovative products coupled with strict adherence to Covid-19 guidelines set by the World Health Organization and the South African Tourist Industry Protocols

With a 9.3 rating on booking.com and being regarded as the number one B&B in its area, this boutique hotel which received its four-star rating after only six months of operation offers food and accommodation services to leisure and business travelers from across the world.

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More-so, a unique theming concept where hotel rooms represent capital cities of various countries across the world opens doors for Yalla Yalla to possible opportunities of collaboration with countries that also want to promote their image especially to travelers in South Africa.

This Lilizela Award winner for the best four-star establishment in Mpumalanga is a perfect stop-over for travelers on their way to the Kruger Park since it also provides personalized service and accommodates individual requests from guests in order to create memorable experiences.

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In order to find out more about the secrets and motivation behind its success, Brian Kazungu, the iniafrica.com news editor had an interview with Yalla Yalla’s Marketing Manager, Blessing Mmola, who shared her journey into the hospitality industry and the vision she has for the hotel and South Africa at large.

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Iniafrica news: Would you briefly describe the background and nature of your business? 

Blessing Mmola: Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel is an award-winning 4-star establishment, situated in the quiet upmarket suburb of Die Heuwel in Emalahleni/Witbank. The Name Yalla Yalla means ‘hurry up, let’s go!’. 

Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel offers a world of comfort, style, excellent service, and top-class accommodation to business and leisure travelers from across the globe and it also offers a unique experience of 14 cities under one roof to its clients. 

With less than an hour and twenty minutes’ drive from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo International Airport, Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel is the perfect stop-over for travelers on their way to the Kruger Park and the rest of Mpumalanga. 

The safety and health of guests and staff are a priority at Yalla Yalla and we take great pride in maintaining the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene. Strict protocols to prevent the spread of Covid-19 are in place in all departments within the establishment.

On entering the establishment the under-roof swimming pool prepares you to embrace the magic journey you are about to embark on. 

At Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel each room is uniquely themed to represent a different city in the world. Our guests, therefore, don’t need to worry about any travel restrictions or closed borders because they can visit 14 different cities all under one roof! 

iniafrica news: What is the main motivation and major push for you to engage in the business that you are involved in? 

Blessing Mmola: The core motivation of this business is to empower people since at Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel we help people to realize what potential lies within them. 

We employ people with the right attitude and teach them the skills to create an income for themselves and their families.

Every person employed here is groomed and inspired to love their work and as such, they deliver an excellent service to all the guests who enter the establishment. 

Most of the staff who are currently employed at this hotel didn’t have any formal hospitality training and some of the staff members didn’t have an educational background, but they were all trained to be the best they have become.

iniafrica news: What are the different products and services that you are offering? Would you describe what each of these products and services is all about and the intended benefit of each of these to your targeted and actual clients? 

Blessing Mmola: Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel provides accommodation and food to business and leisure travelers. It has 14 rooms of which 3 rooms have self-catering facilities. 

There are 2 executive rooms and all the rooms are themed to represent a different city of the world and most of the rooms have a private entrance and a patio with outside furniture. 

Every room at Yalla Yalla is cleaned and disinfected daily in line with the Covid-19 Health and Safety Protocols. 

More-so, all the rooms have a bar fridge, coffee station, DSTV, Free Wi-Fi, fan, electric blanket, shower, bathroom essentials, wardrobes and a safe. 

Other facilities: 

Security: CCTV cameras and armed response as well as a free and safe, off-street, covered parking behind electronic security gates 

Backup Supplies: Back-up, filtered, water supply system and Generator supported electricity 

Food: On-site chef, Lunch packs available at extra cost

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Entertainment: Two dining areas, both equipped with big screen TVs and DStv. 

Hygiene and Health Regulations: Set-up in both dining areas are in line with the social distancing guidelines of the World Health Organization and the South African Accommodation and Restaurant Protocols, plus laundry services at extra cost 

Indoor Facilities: Indoor swimming pool and In-room dining 

iniafrica news: How has the market responded to your products and services so far since inception and what can you attribute to such kind of a response? 

Blessing Mmola: The establishment has a rating of 9.3 on booking.com and we have received different awards for excellence in service. Our Facebook page could be viewed for more personal feedback from guests. 

iniafrica news: What is it that is unique about yourself, your team and your services which sets you apart and which also helps you to stand out among various service providers who are in the same category with you. 

Blessing Mmola: Absolute focus on excellence in all the services provided. This is our best marketing tool. 

iniafrica news: What do you believe and understand are the main advantages to your clients when they indulge in your products and services? 

Blessing Mmola: Our clients experience the luxury of a hotel, and because we are a Boutique Hotel, we are also able to provide personalized service and we can accommodate individual requests from guests. 

At Yalla Yalla, Health and Safety risks are at their barest minimum because we accommodate a smaller number of people and all our staff are compliant with the set Health and Safety Protocols. We managed to achieve this health score at a time when compliance is still a big challenge for some players in the hospitality industry.

Because of Covid-19, we encourage minimal physical contact and there is even an on-line registration form that our guests need to complete before they check-in. All the guests must dto do an on-line risk assessment which is endorsed by the National Department of Health before they enter the establishment. 

On top of that, we also do weekly risk assessments for all the staff members and we have a detailed risk management document to indicate how the spread of Covid-19 is managed in every department. 

iniafrica news: Do you have any background in this industry? If yes, could that have helped you in identifying the business opportunities behind your entrepreneurial drive? If no, what is that help you to identify and go for this business opportunity? 

Blessing Mmola: The initial idea of the owner was to buy a property, renovate it and rent it out to a big company and receive a passive income. As the project developed, the business idea of creating a guest house started. 

With no hospitality industry background, it seemed like an easy thing to do, but what a shock and what a learning curve it became? 

iniafrica news: What can you look back at and say that, so far, this has been your major achievements as an enterprise and what do you believe has greatly contributed towards such achievements? 

Blessing Mmola: The establishment received 4- star grading after only 6 months in business. It won the Lilizela Award for the best 4-star establishment in Mpumalanga a year later and several other national and international awards.

The fact that this business was started by an owner no hospitality background created the space to be very creative. Personal conversations with guests about their needs helped us to create products that are focused on the real needs of a traveler and this also enables us to continually offer services that are client centric. 

iniafrica news: It is a fact that the current economic situation globally especially in this industry is challenging. As such, what is it that has helped you as a business to continue operating under some difficult conditions that you have encountered? 

Blessing Mmola: Yalla Yalla was registered as an essential service provider just before lockdown. 

The establishment was therefore forced to develop and implement health and safety protocols very fast, especially because we provided accommodation to doctors, nurses and other health care service providers. 

Staff had to do online training endorsed by the World Health Organization about the Covid- 19 virus. 

While the rest of the industry was still wondering what needs to happen we were already in a position to implement the developed protocols. All processes and procedures changed and a new way of doing business was created.

The focus was not on the chaos all around us, it was on opportunities and creating ways to manage and cope within the pandemic. 

iniafrica news: What are and what has have been some of the operational challenges that you have encountered so far in the pursuit of your entrepreneurship vision and how have you dribbled past them? 

Blessing Mmola: The founder mentioned that although she has 3 degrees, nothing prepared her for the challenges a business owner has to face. In big companies you have someone to manage HR, marketing, finances etc. but as a business owner you need to do everything. Managing cash flow and understanding some basic accounting principles was a big challenge but business coaching saved this establishment. 

iniafrica news: Based on your experience, what advice can you give to unemployed youths and many other job seekers concerning entrepreneurship as a way of creating employment for themselves and others? 

Blessing Mmola: Never give up. Empower yourself. Never run out of plans. Be committed. See every failure as an opportunity to learn. Dream big and work hard to reach your goals.

iniafrica news: What are the current challenges happening in your industry or country which is affecting the viability of your business? In that regard, what are the strategies that you are putting in place for you to achieve your goals? 

Blessing Mmola: The big challenge is the fact that a lot of people still don’t travel. This then translates to low occupancy levels and less money coming in, thus putting you in a position where you may not be able to cover the running costs of the business.

In response to that, our strategy is to cut on running costs and to focus on marketing in order to get higher levels of occupancy. 

iniafrica news: Where do you foresee your business in the future and what legacy do you want it to leave on earth? Why do you have such convictions? 

Blessing Mmola: We would love to be part of the transformation process in the country. 

The previous year, 51 black youths were trained in this small establishment and through that, we at Yalla Yalla Boutique Hotel have met the greatest trainees. To us it was such an honor to work with them, to see them develop and to listen to their stories that are filled with courage, hope and dreams. 

I felt very special when the founder mentioned  to me that it would be a blessing to her if someone empowers someone like me to buy her business. She thinks it would be amazing if a black lady could be the business owner of this establishment. To her it is important that a person with the same mindset, passion and love for the development of people take over the business. Her personal reward would be that she empowered someone to reach their dream and take what she created and make it bigger and better.  This product is her baby and it would make her very proud when she sees it evolving into successful adulthood.

The questions in this interview are adapted from the book, The SME HANDBOOK written by Brian Kazungu.