Hospitality and conservation are united through acts of caring, yet both require a delicate balance between development and preservation. Out in the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in Kenya exists an experience that blends both into a seamless harmony. Joining the show this week to share his story of hospitality is Dido Dima, a Camp Manager for Kicheche Camps. Dido and Dan sit down together on location in Kenya to discuss the importance, and challenges, of blending hospitality and conservation. Dido shares some of the efforts Kicheche takes to protect the land they operate on, the ways they create a sense of safety in their guests, and why every guest is a blessing. 

Takeaways: 

• Hospitality means extending kindness to others. This extension of kindness continues past your guests, and further onto your staff and community. Without strong staff and a welcoming community, there isn’t much hospitality to extend to guests. 
• As a hospitality manager, you need to provide varying levels of hospitality. For a guest, that can mean assisting them when they have a luggage issue. For a staff member, that means accommodating their personal needs. 
• As Kicheche camps are on conservation land, the experiences must be developed around a minimum threshold of sustainability. Low impact footprints, solar power, and a waste management plan are all part of creating responsible recreation. 
• As a young boy, Dido grew up in a conservation area, which cemented his love for nature. After pursuing education in the field of hospitality, he realized he could blend hospitality and conservation through camps in the bush. 
• As a leader, change is inevitable. While an employee may start in one area, oftentimes they want to expand and learn more skills. By fostering their growth, you create a highly skilled employee who is engaged in the work they do. 
• A sense of safety is a requirement for a hospitality provider. When your experience is in a wildlife preserve, your requirements are more stringent. By providing guests who are out of their element with accommodations, you make them feel more welcome.  
• By pairing the camps with a conservancy, it adds a crucial lifeline for wildlife, and the local communities. Support from the camps helps carve out spaces for wildlife to live, and provides the locals with an additional source of revenue. 

Quote of the Show:

• “You have to understand the interests of people change and you try to support them in that change.” - Dido Dima

Links:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dido-dima-a6623261/ 
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dima.dido/?hl=en 
• Website: https://kicheche.com/ 

Shout Outs:

• 00:30 - Kicheche Bush Camp
• 04:52 - Olare Motorogi Conservancy: http://olaremotorogiconservancy.com/ 
• 05:27 - The Maasai People: 

Ways to Tune In: 

• Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0A2XOJvb6mGqEPYJ5bilPX
• Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/defining-hospitality-podcast/id1573596386
• Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZGVmaW5pbmdob3NwaXRhbGl0eS5saXZlL2ZlZWQueG1s
• Amazon Music: ​​https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/8c904932-90fa-41c3-813e-1cb8f3c42419