Business
GOVERNOR Willie Obiano of Anambra on October 9, began the pre-inauguration ceremonies of Agulu Lake Resort managed by Golden Tulip Hotels of Switzerland, one of the world’s biggest hospitality chains.
Occupying 14 hectares of land, the three-storey building has 81 standard rooms and presidential suite, a conference centre, a gym, a spa, an outdoor pool bar, a bush bar and six meeting rooms.
Other facilities are clinic and a nine-hole golf course which will soon be upgraded to 18 holes.
The governor expressed satisfaction at the facilities after inspecting them, saying the hotel, which he described as the most modern in the Southeast, would be fully inaugurated later in the year.
He disclosed that leading multinational firms have already booked most of the facilities for this month.
According to Obiano, my administration met the hotel when it was only 5 per cent completed by my predecessor, but now, it is 95 percent completed.
Agulu Lake Hotel is located in the hometown of Peter Obi, his predecessor.
He explained: “one of my electioneering campaign promises is to complete all projects initiated by my predecessor, and I have been fulfilling the promise.’’
He observed that not less than 123 hotels had sprung up in Anambra State in the last four years because of the state’s reputation as Nigeria’s safest state.
Cyril Enweze, the chairman of the Anambra State Investment Promotion & Protection Agency, ANSIPPA, and a former top economist at both the International Monetary Fund, IMF, and African Development Bank, AfDB, said at the ceremony that the state government chose to hire a leading western multinational to manage the hotel for 10 years because of its desire to provide excellent services comparable to “what obtains elsewhere in the world.’’
He outlined the benefits of building the hospitality facility which include urban development, stimulation of tourism, increased revenue to the state and the nation as well as generation of jobs and creation of business opportunities.
Enweze, who is currently the traditional ruler of Umuoji in Idemili North LGA, noted that the resort would help to introduce new games in the state like water park sports.
Chukwuma Soludo, a former Central Bank of Nigeria governor, who is the chairman of the hotel’s board, described the new hotel as a major step in Obiano’s vision of making Anambra the first state which businesses would consider in their investment decision.
Amaechi Ndili, the president, Golden Tulip in West Africa, observed that Obiano had through the new enterprise put not just Anambra State but also the host community of Agulu on the global business map.
Ndili promised to deploy his wealth of experience to make the hotel one of the best in the country.
– Oct. 11, 2018 @ 09:13 GMT |
Tags: Anambra begins pre-inauguration ceremonies of Golden Tulip Hotel
