Marriot hotels
Marriott International Hotels signs new 8 properties in Nigeria, By Andrew Iro Okungbowa
By Andrew Iro Okungbowa, (Contributing editor, Nigeria) Marriott International Hotels has signed a new deal to see it increase its visibility in Nigeria as the leading international brands with eight more properties expected within the next five years. This is according to the Vice President, Global Sales, Middle East and Africa, Vladimir Dabbah.
Dabbah made this disclosure recently at the hotel’s meet and greet session held for stakeholders in hospitality at the Sheraton Lagos Hotel and Towers in Ikeja.
This new signings will bring the number of Marriott hotels in Nigeria to 12, with four, namely Sheraton Lagos, Sheraton Abuja, Four Points By Sheraton Lagos and Le Meridien Ogeyi Place, Port Harcourt in its portfolio. It will be noted that the brand earlier last month relinquished management of two its properties in Nigeria, Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and Renaissance Hotel, Ikeja GRA, Lagos.
Dabbah noted that Nigeria is a strategic market in the region and that it is in the best interest of the brand to remain strong in the market hence it continues to seek a thriving relationship with major players in the market: “We have global relationships TMCs and we work with TMCs like America Express, BCD and others on a global level and in the local market, we localise that relationship with the same terms and conditions, with the same agreements that we have in place but the local connectivity is incredibly important.’’
To this end, he revealed that: “We are working with our owners in order to develop additional hotels. We have signed eight deals that will open over the next five years and we are continuously looking out for additional opportunities to grow. Nigeria is probably one of our most strategic markets for growth within the Middle East and Africa.
“Our goals are based on how we can add hotels within a certain country, bring them up to the level of talent within that country so that they can be efficient and effective within the hotels. It is about how you can develop the talents within Nigeria so that the people working in the Nigerian hotel industry are Nigerians.
‘‘Whether it is junior level or senior levels, we want to see our general managers from Nigeria for example. But you have to start from the bottom educating and providing the right level of training so that the employees would then grow and take on additional responsibilities and become leaders within the industry in the property segment.”
A number of stakeholders at the event commended the brand for its continuously seeking to deepen the market in Nigeria and Africa. According to the President of the National Association of Nigeria Travel Agencies (NANTA), Bankole Bernard, who is also managing director of Finchglow Travels and Tours Limited, there is need for mutual relationship between the brand and TMCs operating in the country so as to maximise the opportunities in the industry.
“The good thing about travel and hospitality is when we make provisions for those that have to travel somebody have to provide them with accommodation, the tour, where to buy things and so on.
‘‘It means that we constantly have to work together and that is the only way we can maximise the best out of this relationship.” He spoke on the window of opportunities in Nigeria even as he advised the hotel brand to take advantage of this in entrenching its presence in the country.
Also speaking at the event, Business Development Manager, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Doyin Ekundayo, said Nigeria is a big investment destination in Africa with a large population of over 180 million.
She said: “You cannot exhaust the investment opportunity that the country has. The beauty about Nigeria is that we have an untapped tourism industry and the market is so fresh. We were ranked 169 in the global index of ease of doing business but towards the end of last year we scaled up to 145, we remain a big investment destination in sub-Sahara Africa”.
She added that despite the glaring challenges the country is facing, the government is constantly putting structures and policies in place to check those challenges.