22 Hospitality Limited,a subsidiary of Nigerian Independent Petroleum Company,NIPCO Plc, has announce the acquisition of a majority stake in Capital Hotels Plc (CHP),the former owner of the iconic Abuja Sheraton Hotel.
The company explained that the deal is part of the concerted efforts of the integrated downstream operator to diversify into the nation’s hospitality industry
Alhaji Aminu Abdulkadir, a Group Executive Director of NIPCO Plc,disclosed that the new investors are now desirous to restore the hotel to its former glory and to reposition it as the first-choice luxury hotel in Abuja.
The hotel is currently managed by Starwood / Marriott under various system license Agreements with CHP.
Starwood had in the past acknowledged in various reports that the hotel was ‘in a very degraded state and will require hard renovations’ to make it brand compliant. However, despite the hotel’s poor condition and non-compliance with its brand standards, Marriot/Starwood has continued to manage the Sheraton Abuja Hotel which is now in a dilapidated and deplorable state.
A statement signed Lawal Taofeek,Assistant General Manager,Corporate Affairs
NIPCO Plc,said the new investors are keen to turn around the fortunes of the hotel through the injection of substantial new capital under certain preconditions.
He said,as part of the new investors commitment to manpower development in the hospitality industry, it is keen to establish a ‘Hospitality Academy’ in Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Government to train the Nigerian youths in the various hospitality skill sets.
He added:”This initiative is borne out of the current global shortage of trained and experienced hospitality manpower. Indeed, the statistics show that there are currently more than one million job vacancies in housekeeping, waiters, chefs, security, IT and maintenance.
The CHP Hospitality Academy will not only train Nigerians for local employment but will also equip them with the requisite expertise to seek overseas placements to fill the large volume of vacancies in other parts of the world, thereby becoming a veritable recourse in the quest to abate unemployment in Nigeria.
