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| Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo; Oba of Lagos, Oba Riliwan Akiolu; Governor, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN); Lagos State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Olusola Oworu; Chairman, Milan Group, Ramesh Valechha and Managing Director, Milan Group, Rajesh Valechha, at the grand opening of InterContinental Lagos. |
InterContinental Lagos is also the
first luxury 5-Star hotel to be built in the history of Nigeria and the tallest
hotel in West Africa.
The 358-room InterContinental Lagos is
located on Plot 52, Kofo Abayomi Street, Victoria Island, the Nigerian city’s business
and diplomatic hub, home to numerous embassies and multinational companies. Close
to Lagos Creek, the 23-storey hotel offers guests stunning panoramic views of the Gulf of Guinea. Lagos is
the largest city in the country, as well as one of the biggest and
fastest-growing cities in Africa.
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| Executive Director, Milan Group, Vikram Valechha; Managing Director, Milan Group, Rajesh Valechha; Chairman, Milan Group, Ramesh Valechha; Governor of Lagos State, Babatunde Raji Fashola (SAN) and Managing Director, Design Group, Arc. Bayo Odunlami, at the grand opening of InterContinental Lagos. |
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| Former Managing Director, Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia; Chairman, Milan Group, Ramesh Valechha and Managing Director, Milan Group, Rajesh Valechha during the grand opening of InterContinental Lagos |
The hotel is set to appeal to local
residents and international travellers alike with four restaurants and stylish
bars on offer. Ekaabo, the hotel’s all-day dining restaurant, serves up a blend
of Nigerian and international cuisine and overlooks a majestic waterfall, while
Milano offers contemporary Italian cuisine. For those after Far Eastern fare,
the hotel’s Chinese restaurant, Soho*, is the ideal option. At the hotel’s
poolside restaurant, PS/SP, guests can choose from a variety of healthy lunch
and dinner choices and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere, while seated next to the
hotel’s Zen garden.
For
event planners and business travellers, the hotel offers state-of-the-art facilities.
Its Grand
African Ballroom can seat up to 1,400 people with an additional six other
meeting rooms, a boardroom and business facilities available. The hotel also features a luxurious
health and fitness centre, which includes a sauna and steam room, and Club
InterContinental.
The
Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, a Senior Advocate of
Nigeria, who was joined by other eminent persons from all walks of life,
performed the grand opening of the hotel at a colourful ceremony characterised
by glitz and glamour.
Fashola
in his speech commended the promoters of
InterContinental Lagos for their vision, saying the building of the hotel was a
welcome development at a time Nigeria was yearning for foreign direct
investments to grow the economy. He noted that continuous investment in the
local economy was the answer to creating more jobs for the teeming unemployed
Nigerians.
“It is clear that there is growth on
the African continent. But growth is a cycle as economists will tell you, and
if we do nothing with the cycle of opportunity, it will move on. It is here now
but we are dealing with growth without enough jobs. There is no miracle about
it, the answer lies in continuous local investments, continuous pushing of the
frontiers of commitment, continuous investments at home and emphasis on the
possibilities that lie here”, he submitted.
Fashola, who commended the Milan Group
and InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) for the multi-billion naira investment
in the state, specifically saluted the courage of Mr. Ramesh Valechha for the
bold move even as he assured willing investors of his administration’s
commitment to the growth of the tourism and hospitality sector as well as
foster an environment that can enable investments to thrive.
“The Milan Group and InterContinental
Hotels Group, especially Mr. Ramesh Valechha, did not make this investment
because the Lagos State Government went to look for investors. They made this
investment because the environment was enabling. I salute the commitment and
the belief of the Milan Group in the Lagos and the Nigerian economy. Some have
alluded that commitment to persistent
stubbornness, stubborn persistence was the word I heard about Mr.
Valechha, but I think it is passionate persistence. It is persistence driven
out of conviction.
“And if you want to know how deep that
conviction is, you need to take a turn to the basement of this building. You
will see that persistence and that conviction expressed in several metres deep
of concrete and steel and it shows you how difficult it was to get this project
underway. But they did not give up because they were convinced that this was
the place to put their money”, the Governor said.
Fashola also enjoined Nigerian
entrepreneurs to tap the opportunities created by the current deficit in key
sectors such as hotel, road infrastructure and other utilities that could
create economic growth, jobs and make life better for the people even as he
declared InterContinental Lagos as a ‘’life-defining’’ infrastructure. He urged
Nigerian professionals and entrepreneurs to continue to be the drivers of more
landmark projects of this nature.
Speaking on behalf of the owners of
InterContinental Lagos, the Chairman of Milan Group, Mr. Ramesh Valechha,
disclosed that the newly opened first luxury five-star hotel in the history of
Nigeria has created 650 direct employments and scores of indirect employment in
the hotel value chain.
‘‘We note with a high sense of
satisfaction that we have created 650 direct employments for some Nigerians and
indeed scores of indirect employment for others connected one way or the other
to our hotel value chain as suppliers and service providers. This is part of
our noble contributions to the economic environment within which our businesses
are set’’, Valechha said.
Paying tributes to Nigerians for their
professionalism and resilience, the chairman disclosed that the architectural
design and construction of the 358-room and 23-storey magnificent hotel were
executed by Nigerian professionals while the financing was undertaken by two
local banks – Skye and Wema. He also stated that the successful completion of
the hotel, despite the challenges associated with projects of this magnitude,
underscored the greatness of the vision of the owners and the belief of various
people involved in the project, in the vision.
‘‘Like all large construction
projects, we had our share of challenges associated with projects of this
magnitude. But members of our team have done their utmost to make certain that
we are ready for our opening day! This kind of loyalty has been truly inspiring
and makes us proud of the people of this great country and their unbroken
spirit in the face of challenges. In spite of these challenges, we have made
it, and you are all here to celebrate our success with us’’, he said.
InterContinental Lagos, he added, was
purposefully built and reflected the highest international standards while
assuring consumers of value for their money. According to Valechha, ‘‘we have,
in our own little way introduced some positive narratives that will form the
basis for new conversations about Nigeria at the global stage. I am confident
of one thing; this iconic structure opened today will form the topic of new
positive discourse by International business and leisure tourists who will have
cause to visit Nigeria from now on.’’
In his remarks on behalf of Nigerian
professionals that worked on the design and construction of the magnificent
hotel, the Managing Director of Design Group and the lead architect who
designed the building, Arc. Bayo Odunlami, said the complex was a testimonial of
the high professionalism of Nigerians. While expressing gratitude to the
promoters for their confidence in Nigerians, he said ‘‘this edifice is an
outstanding testimonial that Nigerian professionals have come of age‘’. He
added that it was also a boost for the country’s perception.
On his part, the Managing Director of
Skye Bank, Mr. Kehinde Durosinmi-Etti, commended the resilience of Mr. Valechha
and his team for seeing the project through despite the challenges. He said
apart from changing the Lagos skyline, InterContinental Lagos was ‘‘a hotel of
the future’’ for Nigeria. His Wema Bank counterpart, Mr. Segun Oloketuyi,
described the project as ‘‘a landmark and destination hotel’’, noting that it would
impact the nation economy in terms of direct employment and several value chain
benefits.
Veteran architect, Mr. Robin Johnson,
whom Mr. Odunlami acknowledged as his professional trainer and mentor, saluted Mr.
Valechha for making his vision to become a reality and expressed joy with the
high quality of work done by the local professionals whom he said had helped
the owners ‘‘built their dream exactly the way they wanted it.’’
Earlier on, a media interactive session
was held by the Milan Group and InterContinental Hotels Group managements during
which they spoke on the hotel project and its offerings. According to them, some
of the state-of-art facilities at InterContinental Lagos include 260 superior
rooms, 61 club or business rooms, 36 suites and a presidential suite all
totalling 358 keys.
Other facilities are seven different
types of restaurants and bars that serve continental, Nigerian, Chinese, and
Italian cuisine, a 1000-seat ball room, eight meeting rooms, a business centre,
a board room, and a health floor consisting of most modern gymnasium, swimming
pool, sauna, spa and steam rooms. There is also a swimming pool deck floor with
an open space for seating 1200 or more guests in an open area for cocktails, leisure
and after work relaxation.
General Manager of InterContinental
Lagos, Mr. Didier Coeln said, “Given its excellent location, InterContinental
Lagos is perfectly placed to give our guests access to central business areas, pristine
beaches, and some of the best entertainment options in Lagos,”. “We also understand
that our guests value authenticity and want to experience the local culture. Our
concierge team looks forward to sharing their local knowledge of Lagos so
guests can enjoy an authentic and enriching stay with us.”
The grand opening event was attended
by eminent persons among whom were Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr.
Sanusi Lamido Sanusi; his predecessor, Chief Joseph Sanusi; Lagos State
Commissioners for Commerce and Industry, Mrs. Sola Oworu; Mr. Kayode Opeifa
(Transport); Engr. Taofiq Tijani (Energy and Mineral Resources); Group Managing
Director of Milan Group, Mr. Rajesh Valechha; Executive Director, Milan
Group, Mr. Vikram Valechha; General Manager, InterContinental Lagos, Mr. Didier
Coeln; Regional General Manager Africa, IHG; Mr. Maher Nasr and Regional
Director, IHG; Mr. Karl Hala.
Also present were former Managing
Director, Skye Bank, Mr. Akinsola Akinfenwa; Managing Director, Wema Bank, Mr.
Segun Oloketuyi; former Managing Director, Zenith Bank, Mr. Jim Ovia while the
royal fathers present included the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu; Alake of
Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo and the Oniru of Iruland, Oba Abiodun Idowu
Oniru. Other dignitaries were former Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Inuwa Wushishi
(retd.) and Chief Executive Officer, Guardian Press Limited, Mrs. Maiden Ibru among several
others.
InterContinental Lagos is the sixth
InterContinental hotel in sub-Saharan Africa. Over the next five years the
hotel is due to be joined by an additional two InterContinental hotels in
Senegal and Uganda.
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