Lagos Continental celebrates African women with female executive floor

Taking advantage of the rise in female executives in Nigeria, Lagos Continental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, has launched an all Female Executive Floor, with 22 rooms, two suites and 20 standard rooms. All located on the 18th floor of the 350 rooms hotel, the initiative aims to provide exclusive services to female guests.

On the floor, which will feature all-female amenities and all-female staff attendants with a dedicated check-in process, the guest will have access to the hotel’s club lounge, which is located on the 21st floor with captivating views of the Atlantic, offering a wide selection of complimentary amenities throughout the day.

The club lounge has a separate boardroom and female executive guest will have the convenience to hold short meetings while taking advantage of the lounge’s privacy.

Speaking at the formal opening of the floor, the General Manager of the Hotel, Marcel Brekelmans said the idea was born out of the desire to constantly provide premium services to its guest.

“We embarked on a study on how to improve the experiences of female guests, who over the years have shown loyalty and have also given their preferences in feedback. When it comes to hotel and overnight accommodation, our studies and feedback have shown that ladies have different needs than men and we have decided to do something about it. We decided to launch the floor to cater to our female premium guest who may desire extra personalised feminine services and amenities.”

While stating that Nigeria is not yet a tourism destination but a business destination, Brekelmans said, “We depend on business travellers coming into the country. Besides offering new services and adding to our amenities, we are also targeting a different kind of client. There is a shortage of travellers coming into Nigeria, so we have to diversify; we have to create a market that other hotels do not yet have. I am sure others will copy paste and try to follow, but I am more of a leader than a follower.”

He said the hotel understood that a female traveller looks for different facilities than a male traveller, adding, “Our bedding is of the highest quality, but for lady travellers, we have stepped it up. We have an extra special range of bedding and bathroom amenities.”

On the idea of having an exclusive lounge for women, he explained, “Many ladies do not feel comfortable sitting in the bar, drinking a glass of wine after a hard day at the office; they feel harassed, they feel looked at. That’s why we are offering them the opportunity to have their glass of wine in a business-like environment where they can enjoy themselves and interact with their pears.”

He continued: “Each room will be given the name of an influential African lady, so, we will have the Ladi Kwali room, Okonjo-Iweala and others. Not only Nigerian ladies, but also Africans; we are not going to have an Oprah Winfrey room or African American. And in the room, we will have the picture with a write-up of their achievements.”

Asked if the hotel would accept booking by couples or if any woman can invite a man over, he said, “if a lady traveller like to invite her PA for a meeting or her husband coming to town for a day, then there is no problem. But we will not allow a single travelling male to lodge on that floor. A man and his wife cannot book a room on the floor; a man can only come if the occupant of the room has invited him.

“If any female traveller has a problem in her room, she will either be moved to another room or ask if she does not mind having a male maintenance personnel around or we can fix the problem if she goes out for dinner or to work.”