Femi Kuti Live Concert set @Sheraton Lagos Hotel - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Sheraton Lagos Hotel will host the living legend Femi Kuti, live in concert, on 22nd September, 2018, reports ITREALMS.

Curated in partnership with media and entertainment company Chocolate City Group, the critically acclaimed singer, songwriter, instrumentalist, and four-time Grammy Award nominee, is set to enthrall music lovers, Afrobeat enthusiasts and members of Marriott International’s award-winning loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), with an exclusive live performance of his seventh studio album, One People One World.

Marriott International has been focused on stepping up its experiences game, creating exclusive Moments that help connect with members through their passions, be it culinary, music or sport. From Masterclasses with renowned chefs, mixologists, DJs and photographers to behind the scenes access to concerts, to experiences around your favorite sport or an immersive experience of the local cuisine or culture, there is a lot to explore and discover what makes travel more enriching.

“We are committed to creating unforgettable moments for our loyal members, and what better way to do that than to connect with them through their passions,” said Neal Jones Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “This is an opportunity for us to engage with our loyal members and build a strong emotional connection with them by creating a once-in-a lifetime experience while amplifying the benefits of our Loyalty Programs. Through this very special experience created by Sheraton Lagos Hotel, we want our members to carry back a memory that ties back to the destination and our brand.”

“Chocolate City is happy to collaborate with Marriot International and Sheraton Lagos to give its guests and Marriott International loyalty members an exclusive live music experience with its artist and Afrobeat legend Femi Kuti. His music and brand embody Africa’s rich culture and we have tried to replicate that in the set up, management and curation of the event. We expect guests to remember the event for the energy and excitement that Femi’s music brings” said Edward Israel-Ayide, Senior Marketing Manager Chocolate City Group.

Uj. N. Dominic/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!

Nigeria, Senegal, Cape Verde dominate West African hotel industry

ITREALMS:

Nigeria, Senegal and Cape Verde have described as the top three dominating the West African hospitality industry, with over 114 hotels and 20,790 rooms, reports ITRealms.

According to the W Hospitality Group’s 2017 Hotel Chains Pipeline report, the West Africa region is at the heart of the continent’s growth and economic transformation in recent years.

ITRealms reports that notwithstanding the sharp slowdown experienced in 2016 and 2017, the region’s economy is expected to rebound in 2017 onwards.

The commodity-based economies, like Nigeria, ITRealms gathered, are slowly recovering from the fall in oil prices and oil production, while countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, and Senegal have shown economic resilience and sustained growth.

The report also noted that as many of the countries continue to stabilize politically and economically, the region will be better integrated from a local and international context. This increased integration raises the need for quality travel and accommodation infrastructure.

Experts equally see the growth of the hotel sector as an important indicator of how well the market is developing its travel infrastructure, and the indicators for West Africa are mixed.

ITRealms pointed out that the 114 hotels and 20,790 rooms, accounted for 42 per cent of the sub-Saharan African hotel pipeline.

However, of these hotel deals signed and planned, only approximately 9,875 rooms, or 48% have moved to construction. In addition, projects in the region have longer than average development periods at approximately six years, compared to the two- to three-year development program that is usually planned. Some of the reasons for these delays are high capital investment required, lack of access to adequate financing options, limited access to raw materials, high construction and material costs, a heavy reliance on importation, inadequate technical capacity to manage the development program, and other barriers to entry.

Within the West Africa region, Nigeria, the report showed, contributes 49.6 per cent or over 10,000 hotel rooms in 61 hotels.

“Nigeria is also the top market in Africa for planned rooms,” part of the report read.

The other substantial markets in West Africa include Cape Verde with 11 hotels and 3,478 rooms, and Senegal with 14 hotels and 2,164 rooms. These three markets contribute a total of 15,955 hotel rooms, or 77 per cent of the West African hotel pipeline.

Approximately 57 per cent of the pipeline in these countries have moved to site, however some of these projects have been stalled for some time. In a country, like Nigeria, this can be significant. For instance, 40 per cent of Nigeria's pipeline was signed between 2009 and 2014, and as the chart above illustrates, a large portion of these projects is still in the "planning" phase. In Senegal only approximately 44 per cent of the deals signed have moved to site.

The pipeline of hotels to the sub-region, therefore, is encouraging and indicative of strong investor interest, the low completion rate of projects could be troubling for the development of the hotel sector. It is also difficult for the hotel chains whose expansion plans in these markets rely on partnerships with local and foreign investors to develop these hotels. All the major global hotel chains have strong expansion plans to increase their operating presence on the continent, and in West Africa.

Ogochukwu Nebenanya/GEE

ITREALMS ... everything news digitally!