BON Hotels Places Strong Footprint in Nigeria 

Cape Town-based hospitality company, BON Hotels has taken over management, sales and marketing of four Protea Hotels in Nigeria.

BON Hotels has, over the last few months, added Protea Hotel Abuja, Protea Hotel Delta, Protea Hotel Ikeja and Protea Hotel Victoria Island to their recently-formed West African joint venture, BON Hotels International West Africa. Certain hotels will be managed by BON Hotels, utilising the Protea Hotels brand, while others will become fully-fledged BON Hotels.

Commenting on the transaction, founder and CEO of BON Hotels, South Africa, Guy Stehlik said: “This forms part of our broader strategy to be a strong contender in the African hotel management landscape. We are confident that we will be adding significant value to hotel owners by instilling our practices, backed up by our Nigerian and South African teams.” It will be business as usual, according to Stehlik, as all current general managers and staff will remain in place.

BON Hotels International West Africa, founded on April 1, 2015, carries significant clout with the board, comprising among others Executive Chairman Otto Stehlik – the founder of Protea Hotels, pioneer of the hospitality management concept in South Africa – who spearheaded the expansion of international hotel brands into Africa with strong ties in Nigeria at all levels. Ex-Protea Regional Director, Bernard Cassar is a seasoned advise on doing business in Africa. The final board member is founder of BON Hotels.  According to Stehlik, Nigeria is ready for tourism .

The infrastructure is sound but properties and venues are in need of hospitality management skills with an African approach.

With a population of 147 million and a natural disposition for commerce, Nigeria is fast becoming a commercial hub.  Recent tenuous circumstances – Boko Haram, Ebola, diesel shortages and the elections have not made things easy, but with economists predicting positive trends and strong signs of stability, BON Hotels recognises the economic viability and aims to be a significant part of hospitality and hotel management in Nigeria and West Africa, and are already negotiating a further five hotel management and marketing agreements in the region.

BON Hotels, founded in 2012 manages and markets hotels throughout Africa.

Its management team has over 100 years’ collective experience in hospitality.  Focusing on every aspect of hotel management and operation, BON Hotels delivers a relevant, modern approach to hotel management, property openings or major repositioning. With specific needs of hotel owners in mind, BON Hotels has emerged as a forward-thinking company which is bringing a fresh perspective to African hospitality landscape.

By structuring a partnership with hotel owners, BON Hotels delivers above-average market-related returns and improved viability. Their winning recipe of taking on only those hotels to which they can definitely add value has resulted in an organic, steady and successful portfolio growth. This approach, along with their excellent management infrastructure and unique fee structure, has resulted in ethical, transparent long-term business relationships.

Having been successful in the business rescue efforts of some of South Africa’s ailing hotels, Guy Stehlik and his BON team have gained a high-level reputation as business rescue specialists too.