A new hotel offering for the high class and discerning has just been introduced into the Abuja hospitality market. The Envoy by Mantis Hotel, a 59-room boutique hotel located at the Diplomatic Drive, behind the American embassy, was opened to the public last week.
In a colourful opening ceremony, the chairman of the hotel, Major General Bitrus Kwaji(rtd), said the hotel with a state-of-the-art facilities would aim to provide boutique style, personalized hospitality experience. Conscious of the clientele it would cater for, the hotel, he said, has the latest and best in hospitality infrastructure.
Arch. Yakubu Yunusa later cut the tape to declare the hotel open. The guests were taken on a tour of the hotel which has 59 rooms which include four Diplomatic Suites; four VIP Suites and a Presidential Suites. The hotel also has an underground parking space, swimming pool, lounge at every floor and other facilities.
The hotel’s developers, Hometel Developers, were also forthcoming on what went into the building of the hotel.
The company’s Assistant Manager, Business Development, Augustina Makpo, said: “The building was already being developed before we came in. The construction was already ongoing. By the time we came as developers and by the time we began to speak with them, we realized that there were several things that they had not done.
“They were building without an operator, they were building without specification, and things like that. We understand that, as developer, to build a hotel, especially if you want it to be a hotel of international standard, the first thing to do is to identify international operator so that you are building in line with their specifications.
“There were several design modifications that we had to do before we got to where we are today. Obviously, we had to work with a lot if international consultants for design, architecture; even the entire façade of the building was different from what they had planned initially. A lot went into it in terms of time, resources and things from different perspectives. This is where we are today.
“Where possible, we tried to use local content, but a lot of things got imported. The idea was to get the very best that we possibly could.
“Yes, we are on the Diplomatic Drive, yes, we expect to do business with them, but of course they are not the only market we expect to do business with. I mean it is 59 rooms, it is not like we can house all of them even if we wanted to. Of course, we are not going to give corporate rates to more than 30 per cent and there won’t be space for people who want to pay the rack rate.
“Obviously a lot went into it in terms of planning; this is where we are today. We expect the Mantis group to take it from here in terms of operation. There was a feasibility done. They have certain projections that they expect. There has been a lot of budgeting and so on. They will take it from there.”
Mr. Mejire Arubayi, the Head, Project Management of the company, talked about some of the unique features of the hotel.
“ I think in the last two to three years, there was actually no new hotel that has come out with the latest technology that we have. Our in-room interactive TV system is not the first, but it is the latest technology blue-tooth connectivity, HGMI connectivity. I don’t want to talk in absolute terms, but I don’t know of any hotel in Nigeria with blue-tooth connectivity and the media hub.
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