By Mary Iloh, Porthacourt
Considering the brains behind the founding and operations of BON Hotels International West Africa, it does not come surprising that the brand has become the pacesetter in innovation and world class service standards in the Hospitality and Tourism Sector in West Africa.
Dspite these commendable growth within a relatively short time, the hotel chain is set to further expand its business in Nigeria and in the region, bringing in the process, true International Standards of Operation and consistency to enhance customer experience, add more value to its communities, its Nigerian supplier base, and training local Nigerians at all levels, through the development and expansion of over 4600 hotel bedrooms, spread over 60 Hotels across major cities in Nigeria and 6 cities in Ghana.
This strategic expansion is vital to improve the state of the Hospitality and Tourism sector in these regions, whilst tackling unemployment and making significant contributions to the economic growth with the creation of amazing knock-on opportunities.
As an innovative global brand, BON Hotels prides itself in its capacity to understand its operating environment and passion for creating holistic tourism circuits that benefit the whole country, as well as its vast, on-ground operating experience in Nigeria, West Africa and Africa in general over the past 20 years to foster exponential growth. This experience has been instrumental in helping the brand with a series of achievements over the years, particularly during and after the COVID-19 period.
Bernard Cassar, Development Director of BON Hospitality West Africa, says, “We have over 60 International Hotel Management Agreements in place, of which 15 are already fully operational and in a few months seven hotels are set to open. By the end of the second quarter of this year, BON Hotels will be operational in over 20 hotels in major cities and towns such as Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Warri, Ekiti, Akure, Ogbomosho, Owerri, Asaba, Awka, Enugu, to mention a few and about 6 hotels set to launch in Ghana within the same quarter. We have over 3800 rooms signed, under construction, rehabilitation or already opened, and more pipeline projects are on the way in locations around Kwara, Ilorin, Aba, Oguta, Umuahia, Kaduna, Oyo and Maiduguri.
“As the fastest growing hotel group in Africa, and the largest in Nigeria, we manage hotels on behalf of other credible international brands alongside our own BON Hotels brand, we are partly Nigerian-owned and plan to be majority Nigerian-owned in line with our strategic intent of the ‘Survival of Africa by Africans’ and ‘Good things can come from Africa’. We have also launched our Hospitality Training Institute which trains Nigerians at all levels with international accreditation, and our own Technology company to ensure that the best technology is affordable and Naira-driven.
“Furthermore, we remain the only international management company with alcohol-free operations in certain hotels, respecting both culture and religion of the guests and owners. In fact, the only international hotel group to have on-ground operating experience for over 20 years in Nigeria. Our head office is based in Lagos, Nigeria, and we are the only international hospitality company that charges our respected Hotel owners and guests in Naira, not in US dollars. Plus, we have our own loyalty card program which is very, very successful for our participating hotels. It is apt to say accessibility is our middle name.”
BON Hotels currently has active presence in different locations across the nation. Some of its current and ongoing projects include:
BON Hotel Safron Ikeja, BON Hotel Ikeja Residence –BON Hotel Lekki Residence – Operational.
In the FCT, BON Hotel Abuja, Maitama – Operational, BON Hotel Elvis, Wuse 2 – Operational, BON Hotel Grand Tower Abuja – Operational, BON Hotel Imperial – Wuse 2 zone 5 – Operational.
Key facts about BON Hotels
A realistic pipeline will materialize in the next 3 years, with 35 hotels and 3810 additional rooms
The fastest growing hotel group in Africa and largest hotel group in Nigeria, the only international hospitality group in Nigeria partly owned by Nigerians
The only international hospitality group to charge fees in local currency, Naira,
The only hospitality group to invest in a fully internationally accredited dewdrop hospitality training institute
The only international hotel management company willing to operate large and smaller hotels across the whole country, not only in the 3 major cities but throughout the whole country
The only international management company to operate alcohol-free hotels in certain hotels, respecting both culture and religion of the guests and owners.
The only international hotel group to have on ground operating experience for over 20 years in Nigeria with an African success story, proving that good things can come from Africa.
The only international hotel group to launch its own technology company to foster greater controls and naira-based charges.
The only international hotel management company to manage other very credible international brands, giving the operational expertise and on-ground experience.
BON Hotels are the previous owners and operators of the Protea Hotel Group. The hotel brand started operations in 2015 as BON Hotels and has experienced growth in leaps and bounds since then, strategically spreading across Africa with presence in Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa, Namibia and Ethiopia.
