this kind of facility , whoever steps in here and is paying you money , owns the place for that period . He ’ s the master . He ’ s the owner because he ’ s paying for a room . We don ’ t say , we rent you a room , we say , we sell you a room . You are the owner of that room for the period you pay for it . And by the grace of God , we try to give you the service for the king that you deserve , to ensure you have a beautiful experience . Because most people , when they come to hotels , it ’ s for a few reasons . One , they are tired of staying in their house ; they just want to have a getaway . Relax . Stay in an atmosphere where you have electricity 24 hours , water 24 hours , all amenities you need . Then you have people at your beck and call to serve you . You just relax . You just give yourself a little treat and rest . So when you come here it ’ s our duty to make sure that happens , not to spoil for you . Then , another reasons for coming is for business – conferences . People want to come to an atmosphere that is very conducive for it , where they are given full service . The hall is ready , the food is there , the place to sleep , and everything is ready . As they ask for it , they just get it . So we are here to ensure they get all those things . So when anybody comes here and pays for anything , it is our priority to make sure he or she is treated like a king of queen .
Many hotels join service networks to match u to world standards like Starwood and the sort . Do you belong to any ? Belonging to such a network gives you leverage . A lot of our peers belong to them . But like I said , this industry is still in its infancy in Nigeria in the sense that not many of the indigenes are participating . Most of the hotels of note are foreign or have a lot of foreign relationship , they are not really indigenous . The indigenous side of the industry is still quite young . There are not a few of us that have taken the bull by the horn to begin to plug and play at this big level . So it ’ s a matter of time . We are getting prepared for this next stage . By the grace of God , a time is coming when we ’ ll be able to define those indigenous hotels that are seriousminded about bringing people value to bear on the industry . Not just people who are doing it for profit . We are looking at these who are doing it for the passion , who want to develop the industry , who would take it to the next level , whose driving force is not just money . Money is a residual , a by-product of the service we give , we want people who think that by doing this business , putting a lot of energy in it , jobs will be created and value created for the nation . When people are looking for a place to stay , then they can find a reasonable place where they can do so . So ours is to create value and the build a legacy . When you do it right , money , naturally , will follow . So as soon as we are able to identify a few indigenous hotel businesses that do it right , we ’ d connect . Of course , going to the Starwood , there is the tendency for discrimination . But we are here to prove that it ’ s not rocket science .
You have Lekki , Asaba , where ’ s your next development ? We have a development going on at Ikeja GRA . We are looking at going to all the commercial cities of the nation .
In marketing , we talk about the unique selling point ( USP ). What is the USP of Orchid ? Our make-up - the way we have designed our flow . Our model is slightly different from other hotels . Orchid Hotel is a conferencing hotel . Apart from giving you a place to sleep and eat , we have evolved
invests . ng - MARCH / APRIL 2017 an atmosphere that brings pleasure and work together . You are working and you are relaxing . You can see from the entrance , the grounds we have for parking alone . When you come for a conference , you are not struggling for parking . You have a lot of space . You can park and relax knowing your car is well parked . You go to the back and see our recreation facilities – excellent swimming pool , tennis courts , state-of-theart gym . Then , you have fields and gardens for those who cannot engage in too vigorous exercises . You can play Chess , table tennis , Ludo . At the fields , you can put go and relax and stay in the green or under the shades of the trees . Our hotel at Lekki is designed differently for ample space . At Asaba , it ’ s similar . We have a mini-golf course . So space is something we give people . So we ask , what is it that will make a person feel good , something he has not experienced before in any other place . For us , we give the guest space , a lot of space . Then , of course , as I have already said , we marry work with pleasure . When you are conferencing here , it doesn ’ t look like you are working . Then , our cuisine , we are Nigerians , and we know that 95 % of those who use hotels in Nigeria are Nigerians . We take you back home , we bring you some of the village fare that you can ’ t get normally in Lagos . We are about the only hotel offering beans in our menu . So many indigenous meals that people crave for , we squeeze into our menu , like akara ( bean cakes and akamu ( corn pap ). So we are not just doing continental meals , we do a lot of African dishes . So if you are leaving here , you will not forget
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There must be a hunger to create value and prove that Nigeria can do it . This is the passion that will keep you . If you don ’ t have that passion , you won ’ t survive .” our cuisine in a hurry . Our makeup is what make us unique
Where will Ikeja be ready ? In the next one or two years .
So what is your 5-year plan ? By the grace of God , Ikeja will be operational . Abuja and Port Harcourt should also be operational .
In terms of international
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