How we survived COVID-19 pandemic – Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja GM

Noel Christophe, General Manager, Radisson Blu Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos has revealed the survival strategy for the hotel during the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

Christophe in a statement on Tuesday said that the saving grace was the 5-year strategic plan of the group launched shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic.

He said the hotel was fortunate to have a five-year plan laid out before global destinations shut down.

“We are fortunate that as a hotel group, we went through a complete diagnostic of the company worldwide in 2017.

“And we put together a five-year plan with concrete initiatives, which included taking on significant investments, new brand architecture, new information technology systems, new revenue management systems and a new loyalty programme.

“This helped us stay focused and afloat,” he said.

Christophe said the featured facilities of the hotel, settled it apart from the crowd.

“Ours is a contemporary hotel situated in the heart of Lagos mainland with world class amenities suitable for every guest including proximity to the local and international airports.

“Amenities in our 155 room hotel include Iyeru Okin, our well-known all-day dining restaurant, Choco-Latte, our in-house coffee lounge, cut specialty steakhouse is our fine dining restaurant.

“We also have a relaxation spa named Amani, the R Bar for after work hours and weekend hangouts, a well-equipped spa, fitness gym, outdoor pool area and unbeatable meeting and event facilities,” he said.

Christophe acknowledged the role of his team in keeping the hotel on its feet, as he said: “At our hotel, our people are our biggest asset, and we ensure their continuous development across all areas.

“We offer continuous learning opportunities for our team through our Radisson Academy with customised training programmes, from induction to leadership, right from day one.

“Through these trainings, our teams are equipped with specific programmes to offer personalised services to our guests.”

COVID-19 pandemic impacted negatively on the global economy, with the tourism sector worse hit as a result of the lockdown, ban and restrictions on travel by global destinations to mitigate the effect of the pandemic.

Leading the call for recovery of tourism is the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO).