Meet Jelani Millard

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Jelani Millard. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Jelani below.

Jelani, we’re thrilled to have you on our platform and we think there is so much folks can learn from you and your story. Something that matters deeply to us is living a life and leading a career filled with purpose and so let’s start by chatting about how you found your purpose.

For years, I traversed the world, not merely as a spectator, but as a student of its intricate tapestry of cultures, yearning for a true anchor. My purpose, I discovered, was not waiting at a distant horizon, but was sown in the vibrant soil of connection and creation. In Ghana, the seed finally took root. I found my calling not just in the travel and hospitality sector, but in the fundamental act of building. At the Wapechi Collection and Selah Hospitality, owning and operating hotels, we’ve cultivated more than just exquisite spaces; we’ve created vital hubs—incubators for local enterprise, stewards of cultural exchange, and engines of communal growth, ensuring that the prosperity of each establishment ripples outward to enrich the lives of many. This vocation is the confluence of my passion for people and places, manifesting an intelligent form of hospitality that is as deeply artistic as it is profoundly impactful.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

My name is Jelani and I am a proud owner in the hospitality sector through the Wapechi Collection, a hospitality investment firm.

What sets our work apart is the transformative power of this approach: we are not just investing in real estate, but actively nurturing the entire ecosystem around us, making the growth of the local community an inextricable part of our brand’s luxury and authenticity. The most exhilarating aspect is witnessing the synergistic bloom—how our commitment to employing local artisans, sourcing indigenous materials, and creating sustainable opportunity acts as a powerful catalyst, enriching the lives of our neighbors while offering our guests a truly immersive and ethical journey. This holistic artistry is the soul of our brand, proving that community based hospitality can be a genuine force for good. Looking ahead, we are thrilled to announce a strategic expansion into West and South Africa, bringing our unique model of community-integrated hospitality to new regions and extending the tapestry of our positive impact across the continent.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back along the journey, the bedrock of our success rests upon three essential pillars: Visionary Empathy, the ability to anticipate the guest’s needs while deeply understanding the community’s aspirations; Cultural Stewardship, which is the deep, integrated knowledge of the local heritage, allowing us to build establishments that are truly authentic and resonant; and finally, Resilient Adaptability, the skill to navigate the unpredictable tides of development and global markets with unwavering focus. For those embarking on their own path, we advise cultivating Visionary Empathy by actively seeking out diverse perspectives, spending time listening rather than merely observing; master Cultural Stewardship through immersive study of history, language, and local craft, ensuring your work is rooted, not merely placed; and foster Resilient Adaptability by embracing every setback as a design challenge, prioritizing learning over perfection, for in the world of hospitality, the most beautiful structures are often built on revised blueprints.

Thanks so much for sharing all these insights with us today. Before we go, is there a book that’s played in important role in your development?

J.W. Marriott’s Without Reservations, is an industry’s true north—a memoir that acts as a profound testament to the golden rule of hospitality: “Put People First.” It is an essential read not just as a history of a global empire, but as a visceral, personal manual on building a brand on the bedrock of respect, where the success of every property is ultimately rooted in the care shown to its associates and guests. I recommend this book because it beautifully articulates that our greatest profit is the loyalty and community we cultivate, a timeless philosophy that offers a guiding light for every hotelier seeking to build something meaningful, not just transactional, in the travel sector. It is a masterclass in the why of service, demonstrating that integrity and resilience are the only true luxuries.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://Wapechi.com
• Instagram: SelahHospitality

Image Credits

All photos are owned and presented by Selah Hospitality Co