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Nwankwo Kanu Hotel.
A lot of people did not even know ex Nigeria and Arsenal FC footballer Kanu,had a luxurious hotel such as Hardley Apartments in Lagos,until it was locked up by environmental officers.What a lot of people also didn't know is that the hotel had been running for 10 years and was once one of Nigeria'a most exclusive hotels.In this report by Encomiun Magazine,you will find out how the hotel went from the very top to the troubled place it finds itself now...
HARDLEY Apartments, the sealed hotel of former soccer star and Africa’s pride, Kanu Nwankwo, on Waziri Ibrahim, Victoria Island (Lagos), is truly troubled.
Apart from being sealed by Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency (LASEPA), on
Monday, August 3, 2015, for air and noise pollution, it has been experiencing difficult and challenging times in the last few years. |
The boutique hotel which began on a beautiful note in 2005, clinched its space as a fabulous fun spot and first rate arena to spend your day and night. With 55 rooms –including a pent house and five suites –Hardley Apartments vi was once valued at over N3 billion.
And during the good times, before recession and a spate of hurried decisions, it grossed over N30 million monthly.
Severally sources who spoke to ENCOMIUM Weekly were excited when they remember the boom.
“During the boom, we had block booking by banks and oil companies,” one of the insiders volunteered.
“The hotel was well maintained, the interior bespoke and fanciful but functional –and it was a joy to work there.
“There were two brand new generators. One of them was a 600 KVA gen which cost about N40 million.”
Another source claimed, “The swimming pool and lounge where you could host events was out of this world. The lounge was sound proof. And the restaurant was well managed.”
The boom reportedly lasted many years, with the boutique hotel making good money along the way. There were almost 100 staffers keeping the spot running well at this period.
But with the recession and slide in hospitality industry came more challenges worsened by a spate of hurried decisions and changes.
One source maintained: “Interference in the running of the business was a major contributor to the slide in the hotel. And with interference came a series of hurried decisions, encouraged by lack of understanding of the terrain and bad management.”
Once maintenance was largely ignored, many things started going wrong. And with dwindling income, the slide could hardly be arrested.
The two new generators ‘knocked’, and the replacement was the one that contravened Lagos laws on air and noise pollution. The noise and air pollution were so bad that part of the hotel walls was blackened.
And neighbours, including Corona School and Cash Madam (Alhaja Adebisi Odionsere) could hardly enjoy their day and night.
Loud music reportedly boomed from the hotel’s swimming pool without consideration for neighbours.
The air pollution, black smoke, posed a danger, especially to children of Corona School. And complaints, ignored for many months by the hotel, eventually led to its closure by LASEPA.
When Hardley Apartments was sealed on Monday, August 3, some of the staffers were still inside the hotel, and they had to scale the fence.
The slide in maintenance culture, coupled with low sales (which fell to half of its income in good times) and the change in culture led to many people who had no business inside the hotel prancing about. And this move further drove many corporate customers away.
Staff turnover also became a problem –with engagement and disengagement the order of the day. And many staffers were given responsibility far above their qualification and experience.
“The staffers are overwhelmed,” an insider sang. “Staff turnover is too high. There’s even one of our staffers in court with management over an issue.
“Now, salary is delayed. And even Kanu (Nwankwo) has not been to Hardley Apartments in many months.
“He needs to find time to look after this investment, if he wants it to succeed,” an old staffer told us.
“Kanu shouldn’t allow this investment, this once beautiful and glamorous hotel to lose all the glamour and struggle.
“Hardley Apartments can be saved with good management.”