Nigeria as a business tourism destination is attracting new hotels to the country. From north to west, east to south, many of the hotels in Nigeria, particularly those in business cities, are poised to satisfy the needs of business travellers. Lanre Fagbire and Mohammed Abdullahi take a look at the top business hotels in Nigeria focusing on the location, service, product offerings and all other business facilities.
SOUTHERN SUN IKOYI HOTEL
Located in the upmarket area of Ikoyi, Lagos, the hotel is noted as a leading venue for top-level business functions for hosting local and international conferences and meetings.
Ikoyi, where the hotel is situated is noted for its convenient position in the hub of significant numbers of corporate business empires, making it an ideal location for guests who desire a combination of perfect hospitality and a place for discussing business.
With a conference hall that seats about 80 guests for a full banquet dinner and 100 in a cocktail setting, as well as more than three board rooms for intimate business meetings, Southern Sun provides excellent conferencing services par excellence.
The pleasant conferencing environment is complemented by Wi-Fi internet accessibility which is also available in all the rooms for the ever-growing number of business travellers who patronise the hotel.
With 195 luxurious rooms, friendly and dedicated staff, exotic restaurant and in-house sporting facilities, guests are treated to a superb recreation, fitness and wellness experience all through their stay.
FOUR points by sheraton lagos
A new entrant into the Nigerian hospitality market, Four Points by Sheraton, a member of Starwood international hotel chain is the first of its kind in Nigeria, conveniently located in the prime business area of Lagos, Victoria Island.
The hotel is prepared for all kinds of conferencing and banqueting events with over 800m² of meeting and function space, a ballroom and four meeting rooms. The Executive Board Room features state-of-the-art technology for live video conferencing.
There are 234 lavishly furnished guest rooms complete with Wi-Fi, an exquisite French-styled restaurant, and a sports bar to entertain football-loving guests in particular.
PROTEA HOTELS
Since opening its first hotel in 2001, Protea Hotels has been one of the most successful business hotels in Nigeria. Conveniently located and within easy access of the business districts in all the cities in which it operates, Protea Hotels prides itself as the largest hotel group in Nigeria.
Protea Hotels has 10 of its hotels situated in the core business cities in Nigeria, in Abuja, where it operates three hotels – Protea Hotel Abuja located in Maitama some 10 kilometres from the main city gate, PH Apo Apartments, and PH Asokoro. Lagos has the largest presence of Protea Hotels with six establishments – PH Ikeja, PH Leadway Ikeja, PH Victoria Island, PH Ikoyi Westwood, PH Kuramo Beach and PH Oakwood Park. There is also PH Garden City in Port Harcourt
All these hotels are built with the needs of business travellers in mind. Each has Wi-Fi connectivity, expansive meeting rooms, pools, and secure and ample parking space.
WELCOME CENTRE AND HOTELS
Welcome Centre Hotels is one of the most luxurious hospitality and conference centres in Nigeria. Built to rival any of Nigeria’s best five-star hotels, it has since registered its presence in Nigeria’s hospitality industry a little over three years since it was opened. Located about 15 minutes from the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Welcome Centre as its name aptly implies, welcomes you to enjoy the ideal venue for leisure and corporate business functions.
The world-class Welcome Centre offers arguably the largest private conference and events venue with seating capacity of over 2,500 people. The trademark marble-and-tiled buildings offer a range of conference halls and venues to complement every occasion. Regardless of the size of the event, Welcome Centre’s range of theatres and halls for 2500, 400, 70 to 25 people will be ideal. State-of-the-art equipment with modern audio-visual facilities and Internet connectivity are available. There is an 800-capacity outdoor garden suitable for social and other leisure activities.
In addition, the Centre has 80 luxurious suites, and also offers fitness and recreation facilities
FEDERAL PALACE HOTEL AND CASINO
Federal Palace Hotel & Casino in Victoria Island, Lagos, is an ideal business-friendly hotel that is rich in history. It is on record that it was inside the then conference hall that the signing of Nigeria’s Independence Declaration in 1960 took place.
An expansive property that provides full, five-star hotel services, the hotel caters for discerning corporate travellers. It offers a wide range of hospitality facilities, from the Explorer restaurant that serves Nigerian food, to continental menus at the pool club for absolute relaxation, to the world-class state-of-the-art casino for gambling pleasure.
The edifice has 150 guest rooms, efficient Internet connectivity, and a newly built banqueting and conferencing ballroom that has taken conferencing and banqueting to a new dimension.
Guests have the choice of managing their daily business affairs in the luxurious convenience of one of the Federal Palace Hotel’s seven boardrooms or the executive Business Centre.
Le Méridien Ibom Hotel & Golf Resort
Situated atop rich palm forest vegetation in Akwa Ibom State, this magnificent property is a one-stop centre for a perfect triple experience: hospitality, golfing, and specialised sumptuous Nigerian foods. The resort has three bars and three restaurants as well as Marina Club House & BBQ Terrace, a heliport, three retail shops, a hair salon, and a VIP lounge.
The conference and banqueting facilities can accommodate up to 1,000 people, and the hotel’s business centre includes rental office space and 10 function rooms. About 11 other rooms are also specially positioned for meetings. This magnificent hotel, with over 160 guest rooms and suites, is an ideal location, particularly for golf-lovers as the hotel is perfectly situated on an 18 hole international standard golf cours
Transcorp Hilton Abuja hotel
Forty minutes drive from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and located in Maitama central business district of Abuja, Transcorp Hilton Abuja Hotel is a haven of unrivalled luxury. For the business traveller, Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja offers an executive lounge, 24 meeting rooms, a large conference centre, an upscale business centre, high-speed Internet services and recreational sport facilities.
Eko Hotel & Suites
Eko Hotel & Suites is the foremost one-stop hospitality centre in Lagos having dominated the scene for many years. Strategically positioned in Victoria Island, the hub of Nigeria’s economic activity, the hotel is spread over three buildings and has spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Kuramo Lagoon. Surrounded by beautiful gardens and magnificent African landscaping, Eko Hotel & Suites is the place to stay when in Lagos for business or for recreation. Its newly built Expo hall, with a total capacity for more than 2000 guests, is a conferencing and banqueting delight with state-of-the-art audio visual facilities, Internet connectivity, teleconferencing, as well as translating facilities. There are also several meetings rooms with different capacities to satisfy different needs.
LAGOS ORIENTAL HOTEL
Built on the expansive Lekki expressway directly opposite the Lagos lagoon, the 11-floor hotel edifice is situated at the hub of business activities in Nigeria’s economic nerve-centre of Victoria Island. The hotel’s simple architecture boasts 64 expansive suites, a Chinese and Japanese restaurant, and luxurious hospitality services. If you are planning a ball or a gala banquet, a conference or a convention, the Lagos Oriental combines the very latest technology and immaculate service with the elegant flair and traditions of a magnificent five-star de luxe hotel. It offers conference facilities for up to 400 delegates to a minimum of 10 delegates. The Hotel banqueting and meeting facility offers a personalised service. In addition to the attentive traditional service, the banquet and function rooms are perfectly equipped with facilities to enhance any event.