Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos has reopened for business. The hotel had been closed down for about six months to carry out renovation.
According to the General Manager of the hotel, Mr. Kevin Kamau, the need to renovate the 170-room hotel became very important when some of the key facilities of the hotel were not functioning at optimal capacity to reflect the status of the hotel as an international hospitality outfit. That led the closure.
He said the hotel spent about one billion naira on the renovation and it currently has what may be described a brand new hotel. He said key areas where renovations and upgrading of facilities were carried out were power, air-conditioning, and interior.
He also said with the high quality facilities and service the hotel has put in place, he was very optimistic the hotel will not only regain its market share, but will be able to attract new business and clientele. He said the hotel was looking forward to providing the guests with enhanced service.
He said: “We are a world-class brand and we want to be a world-class brand in the local market”.
He said the hotel would also try to build relationship in local market.
“We are infusing import with local products to provide a taste of Nigeria for international travellers. One thing that we’ve kept open is our dialogue with past and existing customers,”he said.
He said hotel kept its clientele informed at every stage of the renovation process.
He said: “One of the critical reasons for the shutdown was that our critical infrastructure was not functioning at the optimal level that we expected them to function as an international hospitality brand.”
Kamau said the hotel was very optimistic in regaining and making new clientele with the opening.
He said: “One thing that I am quite confident is that after we have opened, the market is quite positive to walk into a lobby and see a new hotel, the clients are excited about it.
“The clients have started coming based on this. On the social channels, based on the last few days of operation, it is a boom. I think the market will react to us. We have seen the bookings. The clients have started coming in. That was always the expectation.”
He was also positive that despite the difficult 2014, the industry would be much better moving forward.
“Last year was very tough for the industry. It was a learning process for industry. It is quite a young industry. Hospitality has just been up and running in the last 30 years. International brands are coming into the market,”Kamau said.
Kamau said Radisson Blu was positive about the Nigerian hospitality market, hence it would be opening other properties.
The first would be in the next couple of weeks in Abeokuta, and there were other properties are in other stages development.
He said:“We really set ourselves the task of getting the right talent and team back to train and really set ourselves apart to be the best in the market. We are looking forward to this reopening because we have enhanced our service level to above the market.