Hotels in Nigeria

There are two major centres in Nigeria: Lagos, which is a huge conurbation and is the economic capital and main face of Nigeria, and Abuja, which is essentially a planned city that was built in the 1980s for the purposes of housing the government and main administrative structures of the country. Both are important regional and centres, and both are well served by international brand name hotels.

If you arrive in the country via Lagos then hold on to your hat, it is a wild ride. Even the best hotel trip advisories regularly complain about the proliferation of petty crime. Anything left lying around is likely to walk, and if this is the case in a brand name hotels like the Sheridan or the Savoy Suites, then it can happen anywhere. It should therefore be questions of security that should occupy your mind as you select a hotel, and any trip advisory that makes a point of complimenting any establishment on security, then that is the one to choose. Matters of service, courtesy and cleanliness should also influence your decision, but only as a secondary consideration.

This, it ought to be remembered, in not a question of personal security, but security against petty theft, and in acknowledgement of this fact every hotel worth its salt in Lagos will not only offer lock up facilities, but advise you in advance to use them.

Abuja, on the other hand, is a much more user friendly location, and being that it is almost exclusively an administrative centre, is not characterised by the sheer weight of population and poverty that is evident all around in Lagos. The downside of Abuja is that is has very little soul, and unless you have a diplomatic or business purpose, there is little reason to go there.

The Nicon Hilton and the Sheridan Towers in Abuja are arguably the most prominent hotels in town, and bearing in mindtheir location, they are pricey. However a number of other high end establishment also service the capital, and since this is principally a diplomatic destination, standards or service and accommodation are high with one splashy looking jointing jostling with another for high profile frontage. Expect none of the cheerful brigandry of Lagos, and a much more laid back and relaxing experience.

Beyond these two capitals the game is wide open, and the best advice that could be given is to book in advance from outside the country and do not trust to luck when you arrive. Nigeria does not have a particularly developed tourist infrastructure, and the outfield destinations and resorts are not wholly geared towards foreign tourism. There are not the same standards of luxury resort facilities to be found in Nigeria as there is say in Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa or Botswana.