… pay for one, get two nights at AA Hotel
A journey to Abeokuta, the Capital of Ogun State, for visitors, guests and tourists won’t be complete without the unprecedented tourism and hospitality experience being currently offered by AA Entertainment Hotel in Abeokuta.
AA Entertainment Hotel, being the only brand hotel in Abeokuta and the entire Ogun State, is not only poised to offer the best hospitality experience for guests, but is also concerned with the socio-economic growth and development of the locality where it operates.
Yes, for those who have known Ogun State since the nineties, noughties and tens, would have observed that AA Entertainment Hotel has undergone different phases; from Gateway Hotel, built, owned and run by the Ogun State Government, to the franchise arrangement by Park Inn by Radisson and now AA Entertainment Hotel by the Adebutu Dynasty.
The transformation that has happened to the four-star conventional hotel located in the heartbeat of Abeokuta, Kuto, en route to the Ogun State Government Seat of Power at Oke-Mosan, was deliberate as the hotel is meant to give back to the society where it operates and stimulate the local economy.
Read also: Why hospitality is fastest route to Nigeria’s economic development – Hala
The concept behind the 173-room facility with suites, according to Salman Saeed, a Pakistani General Manager, is to give back to the community where it operates, offer job opportunities for the local population, boost the local economy through the patronage of local produce and products and help the direction of human traffic to Abeokuta and its environs.
Speaking with BusinessDay on the concept behind arguably the best hotel brand in Abeokuta and its environs, Salman Saeed, the General Manager, AA Entertainment Hotel, formerly Park Inn by Radisson, said, “The idea of AA Entertainment came into existence by the Nigerian Philanthropist, Chief Kessington Adebukunola Adebutu.
“Basically, to pay back to the community. If you look at this hotel, which is serene and beautiful, you can walk about 2km within the hotel community. Although we will be having international brand investors coming to this world-class facility, but it’s not a business for them (the owners), it’s purely to give back to the community since it belongs to Ogun State (Old Gateway Hotel).
“It’s to pay back to the community and to project the image of the State. People who are working here are 99% Nigerian, except me. So it’s more of local content, and it’s part of our growth and development plan for Ogun State and Nigeria.
“It’s all about Nigeria; the culture, the food, local hospitality. We are promoting, specifically, Abeokuta and Ogun State in terms of culture and heritage, even if new brands come in. The concept is different, yes, there is a commercial aspect, but it’s all about the welfare and paying back to the community, that is the idea behind AA Entertainment Hotel.”
Read also: Respite in hospitality industry as minister suspends enforcement of NIHOTOUR Act
While asking Saeed about the socio-economic impacts of the business in Ogun State, particularly in Abeokuta, where it is located, the Pakistani General Manager, said that the impacts could not be qualified considering that the fact that almost everything needed in the hotel is sourced and purchased at the local markets around, especially at Kuto market which is about 500 metres to the hotel.
He said, “Everything is locally sourced and purchased; we source everything we use from markets in Abeokuta; everything we use in our hotel is sourced and produced in Nigeria.”
Commenting on the services offered as a four-star hotel with full and add-on hotel packages, the General Manager noted, “Our facility qualifies for a five-star hotel, internationally, but we intentionally opt for four-star because of the cost and other reasons known to us.
“You can see that in terms of accommodation, feeding, fitness, excursion and others, we are qualified for a five-star hotel, but a four-star hotel system that we run is intentional and that makes it cost-effective and affordable.
“If you go to Lagos, Abuja or elsewhere in Nigeria, you will see that what we charge here is between 50% to 70% less than what you can get elsewhere in Nigeria. We are doing this so that people can come to this side of the Country.
Read also: Beyond five-star: Why the Getaway represents Nigeria’s hospitality future
“Our service is a blend of International and local services, despite the fact that it’s based on local content; international brand is to bring expertise down to local culture.
So, in terms of accommodation, feeding, fitness, excursion and others, we are qualified for a five-star hotel but a four-star is intentionally.
“A price of one night in Lagos or Abuja hotel, you can use it for two nights here at AA Entertainment Hotel, pay for food and drive yourself back to Lagos. Also, our Sunday Brunch for instance goes for N22,000 but in Lagos the same Brunch can’t be less than N45,000. So, our rates are cheaper and more cost-effective.”
When asking Saeed on what next to expect from AA Entertainment Hotel in the short and long terms, he said, “Something wow is coming up that will shake the hospitality industry in Lagos and the entire Southwest.”
