I personally believe that we all have an obligation to live our best life – whatever that means to you, you should always aim to live and give it your best. So, it’s not really about my love for hospitality as it is my love for life, for work, for living and for giving my best at all times. I happened to find myself in hospitality at the moment but even when I was making juice concentrates in agric processing, I approached it with the same level of zeal and zest.
But I do love hospitality, it helps me better understand and cater to people’s needs. It is all about understanding and delivering superb guest experiences – understanding that no two guests are the same and that we always want to have them happy and satisfied truly makes a big difference in my opinion. Nothing is too little or too big to have that SATISFIED GUEST.
The world is such a beautiful place with different people with unique cultures to learn about. I count myself lucky to have experienced hospitality, not only in my home, Nigeria but in different countries around the world. My love for hospitality does not stem from the fact that I am the MD/CEO of Nigeria’s leading hospitality company, but from the unique experiences that come with each place. It is how their way of life and what we would naturally consider the little things are evident in the big things such as architecture, interior design, food, services, and entertainment.
I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO TRAVEL; I always have. The gift and beauty of experiencing different cultures, and different foods, is a real privilege. It makes one appreciate God’s greatness even more. I have a personal goal – there are 195 countries in the world and I aim to try to visit at least 70 to 80 per cent of them. To date, I have visited about 65 countries and counting. Travel opens the eyes and frees the soul. I love nature, love the water and I am a natural-born foodie so travel often allows me to experience these loves of mine. I recently did Croatia, Montenegro and Krakow in Poland.
Hospitality starts with you and I; the welcoming smile we wear when people visit our homes or general environment. The way we treat our guests and the experiences we provide as people. Our culture plays a significant role in how hospitable we are and our style of hospitality. To put my favourite travel experience into words will be nearly impossible, but in my attempt to do so I will share the big little things of my travel ‘experiences’ and the critical role hospitality plays in tourism.
My travel wardrobe is one of the ‘little big’ parts of my experience that gives me great joy. It is dependent on the location, season and the itinerary. As a fashion lover, I like to get creative on my trips. I see it as a way of expressing myself. I love colours and unique pieces, but comfort is also very important to me when I travel.
Every place has a story; from the tour guide to your ears, culture is passed down generations through many historic buildings, relics, and natural earth forms that have now become tourist sites and resorts. Each place has a unique story about its existence and its people. The idea that you can time travel (with a really good tour guide) is phenomenal.
While some people travel for the scenes, I also travel for the food. Often, the community informs the menu. For instance, a fisherman community will have seafood adorning every inch of its restaurant menus. Though in many cases, some restaurants specialise in bringing a taste of another country to you, it is always a delight to have the house special.
Leading our hospitality business has created a full circle moment where I am both the host and the guest. The times are changing, and we must remain at the cutting edge to redefine hospitality standards. Recovering from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic was great, but there is room for us to do so much more that we must remain inspired to do.
Our collective experiences as a team remains my source of inspiration. Visiting new places, meeting new people and networking is a form of research; it opens our eyes to endless opportunities. True hospitality lies in the little details, a welcoming smile, personalised notes, scents, attention to details, and even an Instagrammable bathroom. When my team and I explore, we find new concepts and strategies to adapt to our business. I have many places on my travel list, almost too many to name; Australia, Goa in India, Phuket in Thailand…. so many and I am taking them one day at a time, but I plan to visit them all for sure.
I see hospitality, which is a part of the travel and tourism ecosystem, as being one of the major sources of revenue for African nations. I am optimistic that we will get there and truly start to help our country Nigeria diversify, and generate revenue, as well as become a major contributor to employment.
I long for the days Nigeria will lead the hospitality charge to showcase the beauty of our nation, all 371 tribes and over 500 languages of it, and even explore our biodiversity. But only if we get it right. Cities like Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt have created escapes into different parts of the world. The Kano castles are also a great place to explore…and it all begins with the little things, like ‘hello’, and ‘ọ dó!
