Very rarely do I get a chance to review a piece of history like the Premier Hotel located atop the Mokola Hill in Ibadan, Oyo State. Premier Hotel in Ibadan, once a standard for anything hospitality service in the Southwest Nigeria, lost its status over the years to become a shadow of itself. Today we explore the history of this iconic hotel, its rise to prominence, its period of decline, and the ongoing efforts to restore its former glory.
View of Ibadan from Mokola Hill, near Premier Hotel.
A Storied Past
Premier Hotel is reputedly one of the best and oldest hotels in Nigeria. It is one of the oldest and best hotels in West Africa. Established in 1963, Premier Hotel sits on only a fraction of its more than one acre land on the hill. In truth the Premier Hotel has changed very little since opening back in 1966 as a resort, amusement, pleasure and relaxation center. Its central location on the peak of Mokola Hill gives it a unique visibility hundreds of miles away, both day and night -due in part to its white cladding and bright lighting. Its unique location gives guests a panoramic view of the ancient city of Ibadan. The general manager informed me that this was the idea when the hotel was built. No other hotel in Ibadan can rival this 3-star establishment’s view, history or experience.
It was the standard of a five-star hotel in the days of the defunct Western Region covering today’s Oyo, Osun, Ondo, Ogun and Ekiti states. The premier hotel in Ibadan was a key venue for post-independence state events in the Western Region. Sitting atop Mokola Hill at the heart of Ibadan city, Premier Hotel has hosted the who-is-who in Nigeria from 1960s to date. It was the official lodging facility for guests of Western Regional government and later Oyo State Government. Guests attending political engagements including campaigns, government functions, social events, book launches, seminars and conferences as well as festivals used to enjoy excellent service and the comfort that the hotel offered.
Nigeria’s hotel industry dates back to the colonial era, when British administrators, traders, and expatriates required places of lodging and leisure. As pillars of tourism and historic hotels in Nigeria, they continue to tell stories of power, culture, and legacy. Other hotels from Nigeria’s colonial era include:
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- Hill Station Hotel, Jos: Built in 1938, it served as a haven for colonial masters involved in tin mining.
- Grand Hotel, Asaba: It was one of the earliest luxury hotels in the Delta Region that served colonial masters and Nigerian elites.
- Hotel Presidential, Enugu: This 5-star hotel, which opened in 1963, was built by the administration of the late premier of the defunct Eastern Region, Dr. Michael Okpara.
- Hamdala Hotel, Kaduna: The Hotel was established in the early 1960s by the then Sardauna of Sokoto, Late Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Premier of the former Northern Region of Nigeria.
Decline and Challenges
But its reputation began to suffer when maintenance and upgrade of the physical facilities were neglected. Thriving hotels sustain their lead by maintaining and constantly upgrading their facilities in line with new trends. Internal decoration and upgrade of in-room, in-hall and in-toilet facilities are key to retaining customers. By 1995, Premier, a hotel that was the dream of lodgers and holiday goers, was already a shadow of itself. It began to struggle in recording substantial profit. At a time, the hotel was struggling with maintaining its two lifts as age began to tell on facilities.
The Nation reliably gathered that Oyo State Government also compounded its woes by delaying payment for services rendered. The debts ran into millions of naira every time. Respite, however, came the way of the hilltop hotel when Nigeria hosted the FIFA Under-20 World Cup in 1999. The hotel was one of those used to accommodate players and officials for the tournament, which ran from April 3 to 24, 1999. The owners invested massively in the upgrade of the facilities at the time to pass FIFA approval. But Premier Hotel’s fortunes plummeted again after the renovation outlived its impact.
At the time, the 87-room hotel had over 200 staff on its payroll, maintained two lifts and contended with the herculean task of powering the facilities round the clock using diesel generators to overcome power shortages. This sometimes caused minor lapses which badly affected its reputation. Its situation went from bad to worse as the new millennium grew. By 2005, the management took a tough decision to downsize and pay off those compulsorily retired. Yet, the idea could not rescue the hotel as facilities continued to age without new funds to invest in their upgrade.
Odu’a made a strong move to get an investor to partner with it on Premier Hotel’s rejuvenation last decade but did not succeed. The need to carefully select an investor that will not only seek profit making, and clearing workers retirements entitlements hindered the success of the move.
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Current Facilities
It has 87 rooms of different categories, a banquet hall of 500-seating capacity, a casino, Olympic-size swimming pool with standard pool side facilities and a massive car park, among others. All rooms are en-suite and equipped with smoke detectors, bedside tables, satellite TV sets, and air conditioners. Constructed in five floors with a mezzanine floor and underground offices, the hotel provides beautiful sceneries of developed parts of the city to lodgers.
There are 87 rooms in all divided into 4 categories namely - Classic, Deluxe, Executive Deluxe and Executive suites. Each spacious room has a king-sized bed, a writing desk, flat screen TV with cable channels, a mini fridge, a coffee table and armchairs. The suites even have dining tables and complete sofa sets. The bathrooms are a little dated but good news people. A massive renovation is scheduled to begin soon.
Other facilities include the free 24-hour WiFi, courtesy newspapers, gym, swimming pools (adult and kiddies), SPA/Saloon shop, Chinese Restaurant, Gift shop, Travel agent, Nightclub (open on Thursdays and Fridays), Restaurant, Pool bar, Training school, Massive car park, Business center, Banquet/Conference Hall with 600 person capacity. There are 2 smaller meeting halls one with seating for 60 people and the other for 120 people. So you could have a Seminar going on at the same time as two wedding receptions.
Plans for Rejuvenation
Though the investor’s name and specific details of the deal are still kept under wraps, the Group managing Director (GMD), Mr Adewale Raji, told The Nation that Nigerians would see a new Premier Hotel that is better than its old facilities in the next 24 months. He said: “We are responsible with what we are doing. One of the reasons plans fail is the failure to take care of 360 degree approach to engagement of stakeholders.” He said the issue of staff retirement benefits related to pre-PENCOM gratuities which must first be addressed in order to gain the confidence of the people, stressing that the company was diligent and guided by stakeholders.
‘‘The ‘‘New Premier Hotel’’ when completed will transit into additional upgraded rooms, equipped with international standard conferencing facilities, modern recreation and fitness centres, multiple restaurants serving African and Continental cuisines, among others. All obligations of the hotel are being fulfilled and appropriate stakeholders in this respect are fully engaged in line with best practice.’’
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“While doing that, Odu’a does not have the funds to turn Premier Hotel around, hence the need to engage a critical partner to bring technical expertise and financial resources needed. The asset will belong to both the partner and Odu’a. In taking this decision, what we did was to understand our limitation and bring in a joint partner which has the strength to cover our weaknesses. This is a process supported by globally renowned KPMG. This makes it go through a transparent valuation system which places everything open.
Raji further explained that the joint venture will see the hotel redeveloped with new facilities added. New facilities will be built on the unused land on the hilltop but that will be after the original hotel has been redeveloped in the next 24 months, representing the first phase of the contract. He said talks are ongoing to do the same for Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, which is also owned by the conglomerate.
After over five decades in business as one of the oldest independent hotel brands in Nigeria and West Africa, Premier Hotel Ibadan, which is set atop of the popular Mokola Hill, boasting about 87 rooms of different categories and other well-apportioned facilities, is set to open a new chapter in its history as its migrates from local independent brand to international brand. This will take place in phases with anticipation that the first phase will be completed within 24 months.
Even though the hotel management is yet to disclose the name of its international partner, and the number of the expected rooms and other facilities, it is perhaps safer to deduce that on completion and resumption of business, the hotel is set be the biggest hospitality outfit, if not one of the leading in the country, in terms of its number of rooms, facilities and other offerings. One visit is all it takes to understand why the Premier Hotel is indeed the pride of the Odu’a Heritage.
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