BEING a woman in the hotel business is very challenging but with her wit and determination, Carolyn Caesar-Murray is a force to be reckoned especially with the full-time support of her husband to help her achieve her goals.

She told the Pepperpot Magazine that as a woman managing hotels is a herculean task but over the years she has garnered some skills which she uses to her advantage.

With a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management from the University of Guyana (UG), Caesar-Murray is on top of her game.

HOTEL BUSINESS

She manages the four branches of Secret Villa and Harmony Inn Hotels in Guyana long-side her husband.

The eldest of three children, Caesar-Murray said the business is in her blood since she grew up in the hotel business where she observed her now-late father manage the Secret Villa Hotels which he established.

She opened the Harmony Inn Hotel at La Parfaite Harmonie, West Bank Demerara and the one in North Ruimveldt, Georgetown.

When her father passed away last October she fully took charge of managing the hotels in partnership with her husband.

She came from humble beginnings in Albouystown, where she used to sell in the family shop at age six and also assisted her parents with the stall they had at Ruimveldt Market before and after school on a daily basis.

“I have worked hard all my life and continue to and I believe that when I started working at a young age it laid the foundation for me to flourish in business because I have the experience,” Caesar-Murray said.

Her late father Charles Caesar Snr. constructed three apartments on the lower flat of their Copper Street, Albouystown house back in 1998 and which he rented to UG students.

It was a risk he took because he was told that students would not want to live in the area given the stigma attached to the community, but the business was lucrative since the UG students stayed for two to four years and then the idea of having a hotel was conceptualised.

He built the Secret Villa Hotel at Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara then established another branch in Stevedore Housing Scheme, Georgetown.

“As a woman, we have a more critical eye for detail, décor and fashion and I use these qualities to the best of my ability in the hotel business to utilise space,” Caesar-Murray said.

Noting that she is not taking away anything from men, especially her husband Kevin Murray, she manages staff and at times customers.

She related that in the hotel business, getting to know customers is of great importance since they have to cater to their needs and once they are comfortable they will return.

Caesar-Murray said the hotel business has its peak time when business booms then an off-time when it is slow and it is then she uses the time to train staff and renovate the buildings.

“The hotel business is good once you can grasp the managerial aspect of it and I encourage more women to get on board and become entrepreneurs and establish their own businesses,” she said.

This entrepreneur told the Pepperpot Magazine that what makes their hotels different is that they have hot and cold baths, bathtubs and jacuzzis with fully furnished rooms that are outfitted with a sitting and kitchen area and several other amenities for comfort.

She added that 70 per cent of their apartments are customised for customer’s satisfaction and they also cater for any special events such as birthdays, anniversaries.

Caesar-Murray disclosed that her main challenge managing hotels is the issue with staff, noting that the younger generation is so different and they often consider hospitality work as menial and would often prefer to be in the technology business.

COMMUNITY WORK

The businesswoman was elected councillor for the municipality of Georgetown in 2010 and she works behind the scenes in Constituency 10 Albouystown/Charlestown area.

As a councillor she uses the platform to articulate issues affecting the citizens. She is also a member of the Guyana Association on Municipalities (GAM) and sponsors the football tournament in Albouystown twice every year and does a lot in an effort to enhance the lives of residents in her community.

Caesar-Murray is also involved in the literacy project in which children are taught to read and write while they are offered a hot meal at every session in Albouystown.

She also attends and actively participates in council meetings that consider and enact all local laws that govern the city, approve the operating and capital budgets and review lands use and zoning matters.

Caesar-Murray is also a member of the management committee for the ICT hub in Albouystown/Charlestown area.