I am currently on my way back to Nigeria and have some down time before my next flight. So, I spent much of my time thinking about why Nigeria hasn’t been able to crack the tourism industry. And by conundrum of course I mean why tourists don’t want to come here. Did I hear someone […]
Author Archives: faruk
A few months ago I wrote an entry, titled ‘With 1st pick in the 2013 Hotel draft, Shelter Suites and Hotels selects….’, which discussed the importance of making a right choice in hiring a marquee employee. What do you do after you’ve gotten the draft pick t you coveted? Do you just hand the team […]
02
May
May
I just received news that Chris Kelly aka ‘Mac Daddy’ one half of 90s rap group Kriss Kross is dead. For the people young or old enough(whichever applies) to remember Kriss Kross , then you surely remember their influence in your sense of fashion(Wear your jeans backwards anyone?) . To those that have no idea […]
26
Apr
Apr
As the NFL draft is approaching I am, coincidentally, also looking to fill one of the most critical positions in our Abuja hotel. I am looking to make a new hire and I couldn’t help but feel some sympathy for those NFL and other professional teams that have to scour through hundred of players to […]
22
Apr
Apr
If you had endless resources and could visit any three places in the world what would they be? The funny thing about my list, is that its based less on location and more about hotels at those various destinations. List of top 3 hotels I want to stay at: Maldives – Hilton’s Conrad Maldives Rangali […]
We were recently called, by a hotel owner to re-brand and manage his hotel. The owner had shared some thing’s he wasn’t happy with and improvements he wanted done. After quickly walking through the facility and having lunch I got to wondering why the hotel was suffering. The hotel met all the criteria for what […]
19
Mar
Mar
What do the United Arab Emirates, South Africa, and Egypt have in common? Tourism contributes more that $11 billion to their gross domestic product. Like Nigeria, all three aforementioned territories have/had decent reserves of oil, but they’ve managed to rebrand themselves as viable tourist destinations. The promise of oil wealth has blinded many of us […]
12
Mar
Mar
As a hotel owner and operator in Nigeria I am privileged to travel to different places both within our borders and beyond. Being in the hospitality industry I am also attentive to the minute details of every hotel I’ve stayed. To this end, its has bothered me greatly at the lack of domestic input in […]
11
Mar
Mar
As a hotel owner and operator in Nigeria the question I am asked the most frequently by friends and colleagues is undoubtedly the question of price. In particular why are hotel rates so high in Nigeria? The question has been asked so often that I have memorized two responses; a long one and a short […]
28
Feb
Feb
The city of Abuja is recently hosted the Nigerian Oil & Gas Conference. Its held annually towards the end of February. A friend of a friend came in to Abuja and was desperately in search of a hotel room after learning his top 3 choices were fully booked. He ended up at a property that […]
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