Anambra Welcomes Golden Tulip Hotel 

“Official opening of Agulu Lake Hotel and Resort on Monday 7th January, 2019 By His Excellency Chief Willie M. Obiano Governor of Anambra state.” That was the inscription strategically placed at the entrance of a new six-star hotel commissioned and officially declared open for business by the Anambra state governor. The grand opening of the world-class hotel was a vivid portrayal of the revenue and tourist potentials of the magnificent edifice as well as its ability to boost the recreation and hospitality industry in Anambra state. Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort Agulu Lake in Anaocha local government area prides itsself as a safe, secure and crime-free atmosphere where people can be treated to the best of hotel services of international standards.

Performing the ground-breaking ceremony of the official opening of the hotel, Governor Willie Obiano said there was need for investors to catch-in on the enabling environment created by his administration to invest in Anambra state as the state is safe and secure and also an investment destination. The Governor said that the hotel was properly sited giving it the vantage position of a tourist centre. He maintained that with the opening of Golden Tulip Hotel Agulu Lake, government was telling the world that Anambra state was open for business.  He equally explained that his administration had made it practically possible for businesses to thrive as about 218 hotels sprang up under his regime describing the hotel as an asset to the state.

Mr. Amaechi Ndili, the Chairman and Chief Executive Golden Tulip West Africa, said they operate hotels across West Africa and across Nigeria. Ndili stated that Golden Tulip West Africa has about 14 hotels that they operate with about 2000 hotel rooms thereby making them the largest hospitality in West Africa at the moment. He also disclosed that the grand ambition was to operate Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort Agulu Lake to the best standards in the world so as to begin to improve travel and tourism within Nigeria and within Anambra state. According to him, the hotel is strategic for tourism development because it is located on Agulu Lake and occupies over 80 hectres of land as well as has the capacity to generate 10 million dollars annually. Ndili added that the roads connecting the hotel were being upgraded into dual carriage way and that all hands were on deck to ensure that the hotel blazed the trail. The Chairman of Golden Tulip West Africa however noted that the hospitality industry in Anambra state has tremendous potentials because Governor Willie Obiano has laid foundation for hospitality.

Ndili also observed that Anambra state has been safe in the last 4 years and that violent crimes were rare in the state which he attributed to the real reason why Anambra has been the cynosure of all as well as investors’ choice. He emphasized that the security infrastructure in place portrayed the fact that the sky is the limit for the state because it has a lot of tourist attractions and there is need also to organize travel and tourism programmes where people can come and experience the peace, prosperity, safety, security and serene environment in Anambra state.

On the other hand, Mr.Treasure Timi-Dare Sales and Marketing Manager of Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort Agulu Lake said that the hotel’s brand name and curtain-edge services place it at vantage position over its counterparts in the hospitality industry. Timi stated that strategies have been mapped out on how to get the hotel known to people in and outside Anambra state. He further disclosed that Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort Agulu Lake will be registered with on-line travel agencies so as to get steady customer traffic from them to the hotel. The sales and marketing manager maintained that the hotel would be introduced also to all the corporate organisations doing business in Anambra state for patronage and customer relations even as he said that the Anambra State Government plans to establish a sports village for the hotel as well as develop Agulu Lake all to its advantage adding that Golden Tulip is an international brand.

The General Manager of Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort Agulu Lake Mr. James Ochei further lent credence to the fact that through team spirit and customer satisfaction they will achieve the objective of revamping the tourism and hospitality sector in Anambra state. According to him, the overall target is to have an extra-ordinary service system and customer relations around Anambra and its environs that will engender and foster not only the growth and development of the Golden Tulip Hotel and Resort Agulu Lake but also expand and enhance the economy of Anambra state.