Gov Chime's Enabling Environment for Businesses leads to Increased Hotel
Development in Enugu


"…The banking sector reform shrunk the activities in the economy, activities
that create business for hotels. Despite that harsh business climate…so many
two-star and three-star hotels opened all over the place with established hotels
adding more rooms and expanding facilities, as Calabar and Enugu saw increased
hotel development surpassed only by Abuja…"


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Nigerian hospitality industry at 51
Friday, 30 September 2011 00:00
OBINNA EMELIKE
Punch

With the opening of at least one hotel every other month, influx of
international hotel brands, and high employment capacity, the hospitality sector
seems to be the only thriving sub-sector in the travel and tourism industry in
Nigeria.

In the past years, there seems to be many challenges (some of which are still
lingering), than fetes. While there is a remarkable growth in the sector (which
is a recent development), all is not well as challenges, especially in
electricity power supply, importation of majority of the products and furniture,
and dearth of skilled personnel, and recently, security still pose problems to
the sector for 51 years now.

Some stakeholders cast their minds back to these fetes, how to improve on them
and possibly proffer solutions to the lingering challenges that seems to give
Nigeria a space in the infamous list of over-priced hotels in the world.

In the past 51 years, Ikechi Uko, publisher, ATQ Magazine, organiser of Akwaaba
African Travel Market and foremost hospitality consultant, thinks the
hospitality sector received shocks like other sectors of the economy, and yet
thrived with new hotels opening in different cities in Nigeria.

The banking sector reform, according to him, was most hit as it shrunk the
activities in the economy, and these activities create business for hotels.
Despite that harsh business climate, the likes of Protea, Golden Tulip, Best
Western, among others, added a number to their repertoire in their preparation
to take on the big players and multinational brands such as Sheraton, Le
Meridian, and the most awaited Intercontinental Hotel that will open soon in
Lagos.

So many two-star and three-star hotels, he says, opened all over the place with
established hotels adding more rooms and expanding facilities, as Calabar and
Enugu saw increased hotel development surpassed only by Abuja.
But in 2012, more hotels are expected to open in Lagos and other parts of the
country with hotel room rates falling because of the shrinking economic
activities and availability of more rooms.

It is expected that work will progress on the Hilton Hotel at the Lagos
International Airport, Le Meriden Ikoyi, while Eko Hotel & Suites prepares to
open its gigantic new tower hotel. The influx of these international brands,
according to George Lucky Esiekpe, public relations consultant to African Sun,
and CEO, travelafricanews.com, is a testimony that the sector is growing. But,
it is also sad that the indigenous hotels are yet to wake up to the competition
by foreign brands.

At 51, Esiekpe says instead of building and handing over a hotel property to a
foreign brand for management, indigenous owners should think of developing
Nigerian, but internationally rated hotels.

The seeming growth witnessed now may be stunted in the nearest future if
indigenous brands shy away from quality, facility and manpower development that
will equip them to compete alongside foreign brands in the country.

The new hotels which will open mainly in the cities will, according to him, add
about 1000-1500 rooms to the estimated over 30,000 rooms in the industry.

Explaining the reason for more hotel openings, Esiekpe says no hotel in Nigeria
is running at loss despite the huge over cost that is occasioned by epileptic
power supply among other infrastructure challenges that eat deep into their
profits.

It is expected that the sore point of hotel classification and standardisation
will happen in 2012, and hotel rates will fall and standard of services improve.
Abuja is still the focus of quality. More states should invest in major
development as resorts drive tourism more than any other product. As states
develop their festivals to world-class standards the resorts will be in high
demand.

Guests have cause to rejoice because most of the stakeholders assure that with
more hotel openings, there will be more rooms, more competition will set in,
leading to slash in room rates. But hotels that will maintain or increase their
rates must provide additional services that will keep guests from looking
elsewhere.

Come you this chime assistant. STOP spamming the forum. Admin need to charge your a.s.s for this mindless publicity

They are building a six flags in Calabar soon and I heard they are building a musuem in Badagry for the Jackson 5. This should bring millions to Nigeria to increase forex and the GDP of Nigeria. The Nigerian government needs to subsidize factories for products like beds, furniture, tvs, etc so people can create more jobs aroun the country.