If you are travelling to Nigeria on business, you may well appreciate some help with finding places to stay. This guide to top business hotels gives you the pick of the crop to save you time and help avoid disappointment. In this article you will find a selection of Nigerian accommodation which meets the standards expected by international business travellers.
Many multinational corporations have offices in Abuja, the nation's new capital city, purpose-built in the 1980s. The five star Transcorp Hilton Abuja is known as the best and correspondingly one of the most expensive hotels in Abuja. It has everything the executive with an expense account could wish for, including seven restaurant and bar areas, a pool and a casino. With its corporate facilities and 24 hour entertainment, staying here will cost around €200 a night. The Sheraton Abuja offers similar comforts and standards, with 14 meeting rooms, a pool and conveniently central location. And excellent international and local cooking is served in four restaurants. The four star Mediterranean Hotel in the Asokoro District has more individual character and charm than most blandly decorated business hotels. As well as 25 rooms, a pool and restaurant, it has an impressive recreation centre for guests and locals alike.
Lagos, the former capital, is still the commercial heart of Nigeria. The Sofitel Lagos is in Ikoyi, a residential area close by the business district. Its 94 rooms are spacious and elegant, and it has a good array of facilities including a pool, meeting rooms, restaurants and bars. The Sheraton Lagos Hotel offers all the modern comforts of a large international hotel, with over 300 rooms, four restaurants, a business centre and swimming pool. It is situated in the district of Ikeja and easily accessible from the airport.
The rapidly expanding city of Uyo is in an oil-rich area of Nigeria. Hotels include the highly rated Le Meridien Ibom Hotel and Golf resort. Here you can stay in a tropical idyll, sheltered by palm tree forests and landscaped gardens. The challenging 18-hole golf course, luxurious surroundings and conference facilities for up to 1,000 people make it ideal for business events. The price per night averages around €160.
Nigeria has been seeing a steady increase in the number of business travellers as a result of its status as the largest oil industry in Africa. Several exciting hotel developments are in the pipeline and many existing hotels and guesthouses are being upgraded to meet the visitors' expectations. Rezidor, the Brussels-based hotel company, plans to launch several of its Park Inn brand hotels in Nigeria. The first one, in Lagos, will be called the Ikeja Hotel and is due to open in 2013 with 135 rooms. Another Rezidor brand, Radisson Blu, is building two large luxury hotel in Lagos, one in the Victoria Island district. For seriously chic business accommodation, the five star Wheatbaker Hotel in Lagos promises to combine a boutique hotel style with conferencing and business facilities. It is due to open late 2010.