From Business Hub to Holiday Haven: Eko Hotels Redefines Hospitality in Nigeria

As the festive season approaches, Eko Hotels and Suites, a renowned hospitality brand in Lagos, is seen to be buzzing with activity.

The Director of Sales and Marketing, Iyadunni Gbadebo, in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Sunday, shed light on the hotel’s innovative efforts to redefine hospitality and create a local holiday experience that rivals international destinations.

Eko Hotels’ Tropical Christmas Wonderland has become a cornerstone of its holiday offering, trademarked five years ago to retain holidaymakers within Nigeria. Gbadebo described the initiative as more than just a traditional hotel experience.

“With us at Eko hotels, this is one of the busiest periods in the year’s calendar. Five years ago, we trademarked the tropical Christmas wonderland event which was designed to literally keep people in Nigeria. It is no more about having a weekend where families come in and check in and eat food. Eko hotel has become a massive ecosystem where so many activities happen and we, in the last five years, have invested a lot of money to ensure it is not just about just the dining experience but a lot more than that.” she stated.

This year, she noted that the hotel boasts an impressive lineup of 15 family-centric activities under its holiday packages. The response has been overwhelming, with premium accommodations like Eko Signature and Eko Suites already sold out.

Gbadebo also highlighted that the packages such as the 5-day holiday at Eko Signature, priced at 7 million naira, are increasingly popular, as many Nigerians opt to stay local instead of traveling abroad due to soaring foreign exchange rates.

“The hotel at the moment is bustling. We are already sold out on two of our biggest hotels; the eko signature, which is the most expensive and the Eko suite, that tells you that people are not traveling as much. Typically, two years ago, you would have the cheapest hotels which is Eko gardens fill up faster, now you have Eko signature filling up faster with the family packages right about 7 million naira for a 5-day holiday, all inclusive, rather than buy tickets to London. I mean people are literally not traveling.

“These people are partly the people who are in this economy suffering, because these are people who will originally be traveling to Dubai or London or America and with the cost of the dollar today being at #1,710, if you calculate that, there is no way you would be able to afford that even if you are in the middle class or upper class of the society. But we also have a lot of Nigerians in diaspora coming into the country and not wanting to go to their houses to deal with the power fluctuations.”

Despite its success, Eko Hotels faces significant operational hurdles, especially in managing rising costs. Gbadebo revealed that power expenses have been a major factor in the skyrocketing prices of services.

“The packages we sold the year at 7 million naira, were 2.5 million naira and the difference is not the additional experiences we have, but it is predominantly the power that has taken that cost up. My most expensive room last year was 400 thousand but this year, it is about 680,000 per night. It is affecting us but there is nothing we can do about it. We have spoken to key stakeholders but they haven’t done anything about it”

Beyond power issues, Gbadebo emphasised the lack of government support. She said “We were forced to start running these initiatives on our own. Pre-covid, the indices were very clear that something was not right with the economy and even as a hospitality business, we needed to start thinking out of the box, which is what brought us from being originally seen and being perceived as strictly business hotels to now a resort holiday destination.

“Many times, we have written to the government telling them that we are taking on this kind of large project, it would be good to have the government stand by us, you know, to jointly promote a positive narrative towards tourism and the potential that it has, especially in Lagos. Honestly. I think we are not doing a good enough job in telling our stories. At the end of the day, we need the government as much as they need us. We are telling them that Eko hotel is spending 1.8 billion naira to make Lagos look good and so we better work together to make this happen”

Ayodele Adio, Managing Director of Adio Strategy and Communications, also highlighted the broader economic impact of Eko Hotels’ initiatives.

“While there is a huge economic challenge, it presents a huge economic opportunity.” Adio noted.

He pointed out that the influx of tourists has created jobs for young people in Lagos, ranging from waiters to entertainers.

“From the research that we did, looking at the drive of hospitality across the private sector, people like Eko hotels for Instance, the amount they are stimulating to the economy is close to a billion and these are going to young people who are working as DJs, comedians, magic shows. So, young people are generating a lot of income that they would not ordinarily have had, if people did not take the initiative to do this. I think it is a lot of opportunities for government to invest in tourism”

Adio urged the government to invest more in tourism, citing the sector’s potential to uplift communities and drive economic growth.

“The reality is that these people you say are economically impoverished have huge opportunity within their hands during this period because once there is influx of tourists into Lagos, the economic activities that are created in places like Eko hotels and suites are creating opportunities for young people, many of whom were unemployed all year long to now work as either waiter, providing all sorts of services that leaves money in their pockets.

“That adds value to not just the economy but also to the families because without the things that people like Eko hotels are doing, there would be families who wouldn’t have anything to feed on.,” he emphasised.

Both Gbadebo and Adio highlighted the need for public-private partnerships to sustain and scale such initiatives. Gbadebo reiterated that storytelling and promotion are critical.

“Honestly. I think we are not doing a good enough job in telling our stories.” she said.

As Lagos gears up for a festive season filled with vibrancy and innovation, Eko Hotels and Suites stands as a testament to how private enterprises can adapt, thrive, and drive positive change despite economic headwinds.

Chioma Kalu

Follow us on: