Why Lagos is missing big-ticket global events- Kamau
.Explains upgrade of Radisson Hotel Group facilities
The inability of Nigeria’s commercial nerve centre, Lagos, to host big-ticket global events especially conferences and meetings with large participants have been traced to the dearth of world-class hospitality facilities with no less than 10,000 room capacity to accommodate participants as well as cater to their diverse needs.
District Director Nigeria, Radisson Hotel Group, Mr Kevin Kamau, stated this while hosting select travel journalists to breakfast recently to unveil the ongoing renovation of Raddison Hotel Group facilities in Lagos, adding that if the operators in the hospitality sub-sector are able to organise and put in place additional rooms to what they currently have, it will enhance the chance of the city to bid and win hosting rights for big global events.
Banks deposit with CBN hikes by 82% in October
He disclosed that to bid for such events, the state government will be involved in view of the infrastructure and security required.
His words: “For the very big events, the government of the city is involved because of infrastructure, security and others. To bid for the big events, stakeholders involved normally do so along with the state government and then be able to bid for the business”.
Kamau said some of the things that organisers of big global events look out for before approving the bid for hosting any event include security of the city, how many hotels rooms are available, where the event is being held, and how far the event centre is from the hotels where participants will stay among others.
“Each event will have its unique requirement but things like security, infrastructure, and number of hotels rooms are more or less standard for any bid to be approved,” he said.
He commended the Federal Government for approving the issuance of visas to tourists on arrival at the nation’s airports, saying it is a good development that will boost tourism in the country.
Speaking on the upgrade of Radisson Hotel Group facilities, Kamau said at present Nigeria hosts three of the key brands of hospitality giant, namely Radisson Blu, Radisson and Park Inn By Radisson with presence in Lagos and Abeokuta and also looks to adding three other exciting brands in its Nigerian portfolio in 3-5 years in places like Abuja and Port Harcourt, and Kano among others.
Kamau said Radisson Blu Hotel Anchorage in Victoria Island Lagos is upgrading its facilities in phases, starting with the room offering.
At present, the Premium Room category is being upgraded with a new look and feel. The walls now have contemporary and Scandinavian designs instead of the old tiles.
The bathroom amenities are upgraded as well to offer guests more relaxing options while more room facility offerings are being added.
Also, the lounge is being upgraded to offer more excitement and access to all guests in the room categories on the same floor where it is located.
Kamau, who is supervising the growing brand in Nigeria said it was not easy pushing the brand initially, but with the sustained quality assurance and improvement, personalised services, world-class facility offerings, strict maintenance culture, among others, the brand has performed beyond guests’ expectations and is wooing unprecedented patronage despite competition.
He said the most important factors for the rapid growth of the brand in Nigeria are the confidence the Nigerian owners and investors have reposed in the brand and belief in the competency of the managers of the brand to deliver on their jobs.
At the interactive session which held at Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Lagos, Victoria Island, Lagos, Kamau who alongside Jaco Prinsloo, cluster general manager, Radisson Blu Hotel Lagos Ikeja and Radisson Hotel Ikeja and Rita Opiah, general manager, Park Inn by Radisson Serviced Apartments, Victoria Island, Lagos, expressed how ready the team is at pushing the brand further in Nigeria, and in line with the ‘Yes I Can’ attitude of the brand.
“The commitment to push the brand is complemented by the ongoing renovations and upgrades across the hotels in order to refresh the brand,” he added.
Kamua, who is also the general manager, Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Lagos, Victoria Island, Lagos, said Radisson Hotel Group is impacting the Nigerian economy positively with 12,000 employees across its hotels in Nigeria, and has engaged in corporate social responsibilities such as the support for cancer awareness. In line with that, the hotel has dedicated a room to supporting cancer awareness and whatever revenue generated from the room is donated to the cause.
Contributing, Jaco Prinsloo, cluster general manager, Radisson Blu Hotel Lagos Ikeja and Radisson Hotel Ikeja, said it is all good on his side as the hotels are also having facility upgrade with some mock-up rooms to show how the entire room offerings will look like after the upgrades.
Jaco said he is delighted that guests are having fun across the two brands in Ikeja due to the world-class facilities and service offerings. He insisted that Radisson Blu Ikeja offers the best of spa experience in Lagos at the Amani Spa, which has the first floatation chamber in Lagos.
Rita Opiah, general manager, Park Inn by Radisson Serviced Apartments, Victoria Island, Lagos, said she is excited with the upgrade in her hotel, adding that already the restaurant is wearing new look, as well as the menu offering.
She said the lounge is also touched, while quality amenities are getting into the right places in the hotel, insisting that quality speaks for itself at Park In By Radisson and guests can always attest to that.
The upgrades, according to her, are necessary as the 57-room hotel changes from boutique-style to service apartment for long-staying guests.
Some of the Radisson Hotel Group brands expected to berth in the country in the near future include Radisson Collection, Radisson RED, Park Plaza, and Country Inn & Suites by Radisson.
