Posted by Jose Ramos-Horta on Facebook
Some of our Discovery Inn team
It was with great sadness that I heard Sakib and Neelo Awan closed The Discovery Inn and Diya Restaurant.
Diya restaurant was one of the finest restaurants in which I have dined anywhere in the world. This is no small compliment, as I have dined in many of the world’s finest restaurants.
I have known Sakib and Neelo since 2003, their early days in Timor-Leste. Over that time, I have become well-acquainted with their business philosophy and practice and know that this was an agonizing decision for them. Since opening the doors in 2007, the Awan’s invested millions of dollars in their hotel and restaurants in Timor-Leste. Hotels are in Sakib’s blood, and the Discovery Inn was a project of his heart as much it was a business.
The Awan family business is what a Corporate Social Responsibility business is. The decision to close a hotel and restaurant of this size impacts the lives of many hundreds of people if one takes into account the immediate staff and their dependent family members, who also suffer a measurable impact from a job loss in the family.
They paid their staff above the standard Timor-Leste rates (ranging from USD211-$1045 per month) and also provided them with meals, transport when on late shifts, and specialist medical treatment when required. In short, the Awan’s treat their staff the way they would like to be treated.
All employees are subject to the financial benefits stipulated in Articles 55, 56, and 57 of the Labour Code, which requires that employees are paid compensation of up to 5 months salary, based on their length of service. Given that most of the hotel and restaurant staff have worked for the Awan’s for more than 5 years, they will receive the maximum amount. While this is a significant level of financial security that will take them into 2021, when we pray the world will begin to return to some normality, I understand that it does not replace the comfort of a secure job. The staff also have the required welfare payments that have been building from the day this scheme was introduced. But prayers will suffice if the government does show intelligence, basic common sense, and strong leadership.
Having no business since Feb. 2020 and continuing to pay for the overheads, Sakib and Neelo faced this difficult decision. Like many landlords, theirs was not able to reduce the rent because of their own financial commitments.
Open and safe international travel is still some time away. Sadly, the Discovery Inn and Diya Restaurant are a victim of this pandemic which is debilitating the hospitality industry around the world and of poor government performance across the board.
Only a matter of a few weeks ago, I nominated the Discovery Inn Duty Manager, Marcea Exposto, to receive a 2020 Tourism Champion Award in the USAID’s Tourism For All Project. The award was well-deserved, and a testament to her passion and professionalism, and the opportunities afforded her by the Awans. Marcea is one of the hotel’s longest-serving staff, and it is people like her that are the heart and soul of the establishment. Like many staff there, she received a great deal of training on the job and has been provided with ongoing opportunities to advance her career. For her to lose her job and for the Awan’s to lose staff of this calibre is a huge blow both parties.
One can only hope that we see a measured revival of life and jobs as we soon move into 2021. While the paid employment for many Timorese may be lost in the short-term, it will only be temporary. What will not be lost are the skills, passion and expertise of highly trained staff such as those form the Discovery Inn and Diya Restaurant. I look forward to it with great anticipation to the day when the Awan’s hospitality ventures return to Timor-Leste.