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VOLKER HEIDEN: Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja is in harmony with city’s vibrant spirit

Volker Heiden is the area vice president, Sub-Saharan Africa, Marriott International, he spoke with ANDREW IRO OKUNGBOWA on the global leading hotel chain activities across the world with particular reference to Africa and Nigeria

 

Background Volker Heiden, area vice president, Sub-Saharan Africa, Marriott International, has had an enduring and inspiring career as hotelier of note.

The trained professional hotel manager’s career has spanned different curves over the years with him rising from the bottom rungs to the top echelon, as positions held by him in previous years include: Area director of finance,

Europe; CFO, USA, Western Region; Vice president, finance, Middle East and Africa; Director, Project Zenith, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa; Vice president, finance, Caribbean and Latin America; and Vice president, Protea Hotels.

He presently oversees over 100 properties and more than 13,000 rooms across 16 markets, including eight properties and over 1,500 rooms in Nigeria market, with Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene expected to open later this year.

 

How do you feel about the accomplishment by Marriott International recent opening of a new flag ship brand hotel in Nigeria?

 

We are delighted to introduce our flagship brand Marriott Hotels in Nigeria. This is a significant milestone for our company and speaks to Marriott’s commitment to further expand our presence in Africa and specifically Nigeria as a key growth market.

 

It took us a considerable three years of preparations with the substantive support from the ownership company of the hotel and the dedicated efforts of our associates whom we refer to as brilliant hosts, to deliver this world class hotel. We are delighted to now have two hotels under the Marriott Hotels brand in West Africa – Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja and Accra Marriott Hotel.

What is it bringing to the Nigerian hospitality market?

 

As a world leading brand in our global portfolio, Marriott Hotels are known for its innovations, including the Greatroom lobby and Mobile Guest Services that elevates style and design as well as technology.

The property also provides guests with sophisticated meeting spaces, the largest ballroom in Ikeja, a variety of contemporary food and beverage options and a revitalising spa and fitness centre.

On another note, our expansion plans bring so much to the countries and the cities that we move into, including the addition of jobs and development of skills and experience of our existing associates.

 

What segment of the market would the hotel cater for?

 

The Lagos Marriott Hotel Ikeja sits within our premium brands. The hotel is designed for today’s modern traveller, the inventive class of guests who will relax, work and find inspiration during their stay.

 

This new build hotel reflects the vision for Marriott Hotels which is in harmony with the vibrant spirit of our community in Lagos and holds a strong appeal to travellers.

 

The Greatroom at the heart of the hotel inspired by Nigeria’s rich heritage and traditional crafts will provide an excellent multi-use space designed for our local customers as well as guests.

 

The M Club, which caters to our elite members and club paying guests, offers an unrivalled elevated level of premium comfort throughout their stay.

 

What is the attraction for the Nigerian market by Marriott?

 

Nigeria is particularly important to Marriott International’s expansion strategy because of the country’s economic growth, expanding middle class and youth population. We currently have a portfolio of eight properties and over 1,500 rooms in this market.

 

We expect to also open the Four Points by Sheraton Ikot Ekpene later this year. Looking specifically at Lagos, it is a vibrant and bustling city with a lot of potential for leisure and business travellers.

 

Would the new hotel affect the fortunes of Sheraton Lagos Hotel as both properties are located within the same Ikeja vicinity of the city?

 

Sheraton and Marriott Hotels are both well-renowned brands that have a strong legacy in this part of the world.

Each of our brands have its own positioning which highlights what the brand stands for and what makes the guest experience unique – this include the overall product but also brand touch points across the property.

We believe both properties offer a unique point of different to cater for a range of customers and therefore, will remain popular choices for guests and local residents in Lagos. With Marriott International increasing presence in Nigeria, what benefits is it offering to Nigerian hospitality market and the economy in general?

The company’s expansion plans bring so much to the countries and the cities that we move into, including new jobs as well as career develo p – ment  opportunities for our existing associates. We also look at opportunities to work with local businesses in the countries we operate in.

 

In addition, an increased portfolio presence in the market also provides greater clout to our destination marketing efforts through the individual hotels as well as our loyalty members through the Marriott Bonvoy programme.

Hospitality plays a key role in Nigeria and we are proud to be a part of the growth story of the country’s tourism sector.

 

Marriott International seems to have an enduring working relationship with its Nigerian hotel owners as seen in the case of both Sheraton Lagos and Sheraton Abuja hotels, what factors have helped in building this enduring relationship?

 

Our growth in Nigeria and across the continent is a result of consistently delivering value to our owners.

Our established presence in the country, global footprint, compelling portfolio of diverse brands, award-winning loyalty programme and the strength of our distribution platforms continue to position us at the forefront of the industry.

 

Our relationship with owners stems from trust and respect and a shared vision and commitment we have for each of our properties.

How is Marriott International faring across Sub-Saharan Africa?

 

Sub-Saharan Africa remains an important region for Marriott International. Today we have a portfolio of over 100 properties and more than 13,000 rooms across 16 markets. We continue to see opportunities to further expand our portfolio in the region. Following the recent opening of Lagos Marriott Ikeja, we expect to add three more hotels to our portfolio by the end of this year, including Protea Hotel by Marriott Accra Kokota Airport, Four Points by S h e r a t o n I k o t E k – p e n e  and Element Dar es Salaam. We continue to look for opportunities to further grow our presence across primary and secondary markets across the region.

 

Which area, business travel or leisure or MICE would you say has grown your business in Africa?

 

Africa is a land of opportunity with untapped potential and remains core to our strategy from a leisure and business travel perspective. We are fortunate to have a fabulous portfolio of hotels across 16 markets in the Sub-Saharan Africa region which offer so much in terms of diversity of experiences, both within the hotels and resorts as well as within the surrounding areas that guests like to explore. Our portfolio really caters to all segments including business travel, leisure and MICE.

 

As we restart tourism, which of the travel segments do see leading the recovering process?

 

Over the past year, we’ve seen a number of new travel trends as our customers’ needs have evolved. Of course, a lot depends on travel restrictions across the region.

 

However, it is clear that the leisure market will be the first to recover – people are itching to travel once again.

 

At Marriott, we believe leisure travellers will be far more considered with their travel plans. Rather than short weekends away, we expect to see bigger, longer holidays, to less-discovered destinations, where families are joined by friends or wider family members.

 

Given this trajectory, which areas are you focusing on for recovery?

We know international travel is still restricted or limited in many markets across the region.

 

So, we’re focusing our efforts on driving local demand and our teams are working harder than ever before to give our guests confidence to travel with peace of mind. Looking ahead, we are confident travel will return.

 

All the signs show there is a huge pent-up demand for travel. We’ve also witnessed the trend of guests mixing business and leisure accelerate throughout this pandemic, especially since the modernisation of the working landscape and the growth of companies offering more flexible working environments.

 

How do you see the future of Nigerian hospitality market?

 

Nigeria plays an integral role in our overall growth strategy across Africa.

 

This past-year has had an impact on the hospitality industry globally, including Nigeria. While the current environment remains challenging, we remain optimistic about the hospitality market in the country.

 

Clearly, travel has evolved but what comes with change, is opportunity.

And our hotels in Nigeria continue to innovate and meet our customers evolving needs. We are hopeful for what’s ahead and we very much look forward to welcoming members and guests back at our hotels in Nigeria when they can travel again.

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