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Interview:
Corporate Nigeria (CN) talks to
Mr. Panos Panayis
General Manager
Eko Hotel & Suites, Victoria Island
Continuously Exceeding
Guests Expectations
CN: Can you describe the history and operating philosophy of Eko Hotel & Suites?
Mr. Panos Panayis: Eko Hotel was opened in 1976, with the Kuramo Lodge, now known as the Eko Garden, being the first building. In 1977, the main hotel was opened. The opening of Eko Hotel met the need for a five star hotel in Lagos and it catered for the several business travellers thronging Nigeria after the civil war and during the era of oil boom. In 2004, in keeping with being the leaders in the hotel business, the prestigious Eko Suites was added to the property. The hotel was opened and was initially managed by the Holiday Inn and was known as Eko Holiday Inn. Over the years, it has been managed by both Meridien and Accor chains and has been known by those names. Presently, it is being managed independent of any international chain and is operating under the name of ‘Eko Hotel & Suites’. This name has become a brand of its own and hopefully will metamorphose into a chain.
Customer satisfaction is the centre of our operational philosophy. A happy and satisfied customer is most likely to return to the Eko Hotel and repeat business is the mainstay of any hotel. We recognise that this is the most effective advertisement we can have. To achieve customer satisfaction, we take guests’ requests and complaints very seriously and try not to depend on generic solutions but our methods reflect and address each situation as it arises. The staffs are trained to be proactive, anticipating and resolving potential issues. The recognition and acknowledgement of every guest especially repeat guests is paramount. Because of the nature of our business which is highly dependant on services, we take staff training very seriously as we expect courteous professionalism from all.
Who are Eko Hotel & Suites target customers?
As a multi functional property our target customers are equally diverse, however our main focus has been Corporate bodies both local and international as well as the National Government Sector. With the advent of our extended facilities and our historical expertise, we are moving more and more into the MICE Markets (Meeting, Incentive Conference and Exhibitions) from Local, National and International market places. Already having proven our ability with FIFA World Cup series recently and the Nigerian Bar Association Conference, an event of 8000 guests for a period of five consecutive days, we are comfortable with the fact we are equipped and are able to handle events of this magnitude.
We are market leaders in the Conference & Banqueting arena having created our own niche and with the addition of our forthcoming Convention Centre will be capitalising on our established expertise and become an integral part of the growth of the local economy by attracting large events not previously held here due to lack of volume facilities.
EKO Hotel & Suites is a recognised market leader in the hospitality industry. How do you plan to maintain this position and what are your ambitions for future business?
Our plans are to ensure that our clients, guests and customers have our continued excellent services of course, whilst being constantly aware of their changing needs and improving services to match them. These include renovation and expansion of the property and also upgrading to include all the very latest of technological requirement of the international market place.
Our ambitions are to spread our facilities to make them unrivalled in Africa bringing events that formally were not possible in Nigeria as there was no facility large enough in capacity to accommodate such events. With the expansion of our Convention Centre and additional room stock and the acreage we have, we will be able to host these events under one roof.
We are planning events such as ‘Heavy Weight Boxing Championships’ Trade Exhibitions and International Meetings where a capacity of 1000’s is required. We at EKO would be able to accommodate and facilitate them comfortable and easily.
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