It’s not an overstatement if it is that said all businesses in a country benefit from the travel and tourism industry directly or indirectly. Apart from the economic growth benefits every nation gets from travel and tourism, many businesses in such countries exists only because the travel industry exists. We’ll be taking a quick review of the category of businesses that benefit from the travel industry. More and more businesses these days are catching on to the fact that travel and tourism is kind of a big deal. But there are some businesses that seem to take advantage of the travel industry better than others. At the very least, this will serve as a guide on many travel related businesses one could start up in a country.
1. Tour Guiding Service
Tour guides exist in almost every country and everywhere there are tourist attractions. One of the travel and tourism related businesses that an entrepreneur can successfully start with little or no money is to become a tourist guide. All that is required to successfully launch this type of business is to ensure that you can speak at least one or more foreign languages.
2. Restaurants and Bars
Beverage and liquor is yet another business that is part of the business value chain of the travels and tourism industry. Although, most tourists may prefer to eat the food they are familiar with, but it wouldn’t be out of place if you could also include some local delicacy as part of the food you sell in your restaurant. The truth is that some tourists make it mandatory to try out the local delicacies of the community they are visiting. So, ensure that you include local delicacies as part of the food you sell in your restaurant if your restaurant is located in a tourist town.
3. Hotel and Lodge
It is a must for visitors to look for places to lodge when they visit any town. Unless, of course, they have a host who is ready to accommodate them for the duration their stay. As a matter of fact, before tourists visit a tourist town, part of their findings will be how to locate the nearest hotel and lodge in that town. Therefore, hotels and lodges is a business that benefits significantly from travel and tourism. Hence, many people are investing in building one no matter are small it is. Even large established brands like Starwood are expanding by opening subsidiary brands in different countries. Some large hotel brand subsidiaries in Nigeria and many parts of Africa include Intercontinental Lagos Hotel(https://hotels.ng/hotel/59691-intercontinental-lagos-hotel-lagos).

4. The Transport Sector
Taxi and bus shuttle business is another fantastic travels and tourism related business that thrives pretty well in tourist towns. Of course, tourists would want to move together from one tourist site to another hence the need for a bus shuttle services. The bus shuttle could also help transport them (tourists) on arrival from the airport to their hotels and also from their hotels to the airports on their departure. Taxi services like Uber and Taxify is also ideal. Many companies are already keying into this benefit worldwide.
5. Vehicle Rental Business
Rental business is yet another travels and tourism related business that benefits from the existence of tourism in a country. There are several stuffs that tourists could rent when they visit tourist sites. It could be a car, scooter, speed boat, canoe or even horse, donkey or camel.
6. Photography Business
Although a dying business, but not dead. Photography business is an added business venture in the value chain of travels and tourism industry. Most tourists would always travel with their cameras to capture beautiful sites and moments, but if they have the option to make use of a professional photographer, they would gladly embrace it. Many photographer partner with travel agencies to become their official photographers rather than just opening a photography business.
7. Souvenir Shops
Souvenir shop is another travels and tours business that benefits significantly from the travel industry and one that exists only because travel and tourism is made possible. It is highly profitable in any tourist town as loads of visitors would prefer to buy local crafts, unique gifts and native wears from a tourist town as a mark of remembrance.

8. The Healthcare Industry
Very often, people travel to places that offer better health services and more advanced technology, especially when their host countries are developing countries.

9. Education
It's hard to call education a "business", but at the same time, you just can't overlook the benefits the education system of many nations get from travelers. Whether for a professional course or just a quest for knowledge and history, millions of people travel each year to study at a distant institutions and educational learning centre of some sorts. This adds a substantial financial resources to such institutions.

10. Online Travel Agencies
The emergence of online travel agents and booking platforms like hotels.ng is as a result of the significant financial benefits inherent in the travel sector. OTAs plan trips on behalf of their clients, ranging from flights and hotel bookings to travel itineraries.
Many other businesses that benefits from the travel and tourism sector directly and indirectly are small and large consumer stores, luggage delivery services, airlines, ticketing and reservation services, helicopter transport services and many more.
The travels and tourism industry is a major source of income for most countries of the world. The travels and tourism industry provide jobs directly or indirectly to countless numbers of entrepreneurs all over the globe. The benefit and opportunities that are available as a result of travel are numerous. The number of businesses that benefit from the travel industry is extensive, from the passport cover sellers at the immigration office to the taxis parked in front of airports and hotels.
The fact remains that travel and tourism affects almost all businesses in a country whether we accept it or not. The sooner a country realizes this, the sooner they can start taking advantage of the growing travel industry.

Subscribing to hotels’ loyalty plans is a strategy that most seasoned travelers use to get discounts when they book hotel rooms. With these programs, you get exceptional benefits, fantastic savings and exclusive privileges no matter which of their hotels you choose to stay in across the country. Some other possible benefits include free meals, exchanging points for free nights and increased discounts when you book for rooms using your card.
As loyalty becomes a huge focus for the industry, hotels are challenging traditional ideas and trying new strategies to attract both short and long-term business. Of course, there are Nigerian that would choose amenities over price any day, or those who are willing to drive a bit further to their destination to save a naira or two. But one factor that many hotels regard is the importance of their customer loyalty programs to repeated patronage. Nigerians should therefore key into loyalty programs-the current recession makes this even more tempting. With this in mind here are 7 Loyalty programs in Nigeria for you to take advantage of this June:

1. Best Western Starfire Hotel, Best Western The Island Hotel, Best Western Hotel GRA
Points never expire, no blackout dates, exclusive reservations line, room upgrade, choice of thank you gift or points upon arrival , 10% point discount on free night redemptions , free night availability guaranteed, Instant Rewards, $10 Best Western Gift Card every night, Best Western Rewards Exclusive Member rates, worldwide Free Night Redemption.

2. Protea Hotel Kuramo Waters, Protea Hotel Ikeja, Protea Hotel Victoria Island
Room upgrades, free meals, VIP priviledges, you get instant rewards when you sign up, 20% off the best available rate-of-the-day at participating BON Hotels in Africa, 5% off any advertised accommodation special on www.bonhotels.com, each time you stay at a participating BON Hotel in Africa you will earn BONami bonus crowns, don’t forget to request your crown on departure! Unfortunately crowns will not be backdated for previous stays.

3. Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel/ Park Inn Radisson
Enjoy free award nights starting at 9,000 gold points with no blackout dates on standard rooms, award nights starting at just 5,000 points when you use cash, exchange your points for airline miles with of their 20 airline partners, use your points for in-hotel awards such as movies, laundry credits, room upgrades and more. Short on points? Buy the extra points you need to boost your balance and enjoy your rewards faster. You can redeem points for TSA Precheck Privileges to make flying easier. Redeem your points for Carlson Rezidor Hotel Gift Cards valid throughout Europe.

4. Intercontinental Lagos Hotel
Free Internet is yours worldwide, select personal stay preferences to customize hotel stays just the way you like them, exclusive rates, rewards nights count, allows rollover nights, No blackout dates for Reward Nights, faster rewards by using a combination of points and cash, redeem points for flights with no blackout dates on more than 400 airlines, earn points through their partners for everyday activities like renting a car, buying flowers, shopping and dining, use your IHG® Rewards Club Concierge for tickets to games, one-of-a-kind items or pretty much anything else you can imagine

5. Renaissance Hotel
Enjoy free Wi-Fi and mobile check-in, lower rates, the luxury of late checkout, plus once-in-a-lifetime experiences for members only. Relax while you rack up points for hotel stays, airline travel and shopping, use your points for a room upgrade, a dream vacation or the coolest new tech. Reward points are earned for meetings and events, no blackout dates, guaranteed room type, 48-hour guaranteed room availability, complimentary room upgrades, arrival gift of bonus points, a food & beverage amenity, complementary enhanced in-room internet access, complimentary-in-room internet access, guaranteed 4pm late checkout, guaranteed lounge access and breakfast for two.

6. Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Meridian
Redeem for stays without blackout dates — even during holidays. If a standard room is available, it's yours. Tee off with your favorite golf pro, head backstage with the band or walk the red carpet — your Starpoints give you VIP access like no other to sporting events, culinary experiences, concerts and more. Guaranteed room availability when your room is booked by 3 p.m., 72+ hours prior to arrival.

7. Transcorp Hilton Abuja
Guaranteed discount, digital check-in - check-in, choose your room, and customize your stay from your mobile device up to 24 hours in advance-, complimentary in-room and lobby standard internet access, quick reservations and check-ins based on your room preference, late check-out, express check-out, second guest stays free.
Loyalty programs are a key element of the travel experience for seasoned travelers. Loyalty programs are beginning to catch onto this and are adding content into their offerings. This content helps the brand become present at other stages of the travel planning process, instead of just settling for the purchase touchpoint. Not to mention, it's sure to help the wanderlust kick in for those who are more likely to travel on a whim, or the business traveler plan a last-minute trip.
To hoteliers out there, according to Hotels.ng insights, the redemption of hotel loyalty points in the hotel industry is currently increasing and it is expected to influence even more consumers over the next year, so if your property hasn't implemented a loyalty program, now is the time to do so. Additionally, just because the recession may officially be over soon doesn’t mean consumers will abandon their search for value. No matter how many rooms your property offers, implementing a loyalty program will influence guests' booking decisions, encourage repeat customers, provide word of mouth marketing and keep your property's highest-earning guests satisfied.

The term virtual reality in Nigeria is far less strange now than it was five years ago with the increased introduction and use of virtual reality gadgets especially in line with mobiles phones that complements such an experience. It is however stranger to think of the possible ways that Nigerian travel agencies and hotels can optimize this new tool to maximize clients experiences and increase profit because of its uncommon use in Nigeria. Virtual Reality is a computer-generated simulation of an image or environment that can be interacted with a seemingly physical way using special equipment such as a headset with a screen inside or gloves fitted with sensors. This article therefore looks into the possibilities of Virtual Reality in the Nigerian travel agency and its future prospects.
Booking a hotel or planning a trip usually involves just looking at pictures of the rooms and hotel facilities. However, with virtual reality, one can get a near real-life experience of how being in such a room or using such facilities might feel like. The obvious choice of people after experiencing the traditional booking methods and the VR viewing experience is clear, even when the travel agency that uses the traditional methods has better facilities and higher quality standards. The statistics of increased patronage of VR-enabled hotels in European countries has emphasized enough its profitability prospects for hotels in Lagos, hotels in Abuja and all other states in the country. Nigerian Hotels that decide to key into this. Virtual reality is something hotels should be using to attract more guests and secure direct bookings.
Creating virtual tours of travel destinations is a perfect way to capture the hearts and attention of children and people who are very conscious of where are how they spend their vacations or visits. Creating tours of destination can both be to convince the user to visit such a place or to monetize such a virtual experience-whether you want to check out the view from your hotel room balcony or just to get a feel of the resort or beach. Thus, VR has two major usages in the travel industry- for inspiration and for demonstration. Giving potential guest a 360-degree walkthrough of their room options and facilities rather than using still images allows potential guest to fully immerse themselves in the rooms or facilities. A client who views a virtual tour is 10 times more likely to visit a place or book a room than they would be of travel and hotels facilities that don’t have virtual tours.
As divers digital platforms such as online maps and blogs, which are already used to reduce risk when it comes to travel planning and booking, VR is also seen as a potential technology to use in this regard. The survey conducted by Statista Digital market Outlook in Germany shows that 62% of those who experienced VR in travel would consider is as a tool for holiday planning, 49% would only use it if it is provided for free and 13% would be willing to pay for it. The acceptance of VR in Nigeria in this context is already visible
Airplanes worldwide are employing various in-flight entertainment to serve their customers during flights such as the VR device which provides a better experience than the small screens provided on the back seats of airplanes. Transportation services can also optimize the use of VR technology by allowing potential customers to view the vehicle they intend to use.
Are there hotels and travel agencies in Nigeria that use VR? Yes there are, and the number is growing by the day. The travel agencies and destination spots that make efficient use of VR technology in Nigeria are, however, not many. Some in particular that have keyed in to the VR initiative include: Golfteq systems and CERCOPAN. If any hotel is capable of maximizing and integrating the use of such a trend into their marketing strategies, it would be Hotel Ibis Lagos, Intercontinental Hotel and Resort, [url=ps://hotels.ng/hotel/17329-nicon-luxury-abuja]Nicon Luxury[/url], Golden Tulip Festac Lagos and other hotels of their caliber who operate on international standards.
There are several Nigerian companies that can create a VR experience for any website or travel agency that needs it- one is Imisi3D.Once you go virtual, there is no going back. Nigerian companies, especially those in the travel and flight industry like hotels.ng, should take advantage of this growing VR trend to improve their patronage, customer satisfaction and profit.

There is beginning to be a shift in focus from the development of luxury hotels to the development of hotels that are accessible to the middle class in Nigeria. According the director of OECD development centre, the increase in average incomes and the fall in levels of absolute poverty, in particular during the last decade, suggest that an increasing proportion of the world’s population is neither rich nor poor by international standards but finds itself in the middle of the income distribution. This has given rise to the idea of developing economy hotels in order to take advantage of this growing class. OECD statistics shows that the size of the global middle class is said to increase from 1.8 billion in 2009 to 3.2 billion by 2020, and 4.9 billion by 2030. The revenue to be generated is far more than what is obtainable from the upper class.
The developing world’s emerging middle class is a critical economic and social actor because of its potential as an engine of growth, as seen in the largest developing countries such as China, India, and some sub-Saharan parts of Africa. Thus, developing the middle class is the focus of the government of most developing nations like Nigeria; the more reason why hotels should begin to shift their focus to them.
In 2015, the global middle class numbered about 3 billion people who spent $33 trillion, amounting to two-thirds of the world’s consumer spending. By 2021, most people could be middle class. Hoteliers in Nigeria must begin to think of where their hotel’s customer base will come from in the future.
However there are some that proposed that hoteliers should stay out of the middle class. According to Jack DeBoer, a hotel industry icon, the reason for this is that “The middle is a commodity and it will be driven not by what you can do or what you can change, but it will be driven by the economy, over which you have no control.”
Nonetheless, as the global tourism landscape continues to change, so should the hospitality industry. The rising number of middle-class travelers, business travelers and travelling families has led to a boom in the number of economy hotels in the world, also known as select service hotels. The focus for Nigerian Hoteliers should therefore be the offering of select services, meaning it should not just be a full service hotel. A four or five star hotel like Eko Hotel and Suites, Lagos Oriental Hotel, and Protea Hotel Kuramo Waters will usually have a wide range of service offerings such as various restaurants, a ballroom, gift shops etc. With economy hotels or select service hotels, you need to focus on giving people what they want from their accommodation and not necessarily adding in all the jingles and sparkles. The things that guests typically want are a comfortable bed, a hotel in a good location, high-speed and free WiFi, in-room technology that works seamlessly and a lobby/breakfast area where guests can socialize with people and hang out. The hotels are often located in vibrant parts of cities where the guests can choose from a wide choice of local restaurants and bars within a short and safe walk from the hotel. Many economy hotel that are taking advantage of this growing middle class include Beni Apartments, Travel House Lekki, Axari hotels and De-Skyline Hotels.
According to hotels.ng, the current demand for economy hotels/select service hotels is increasing at a faster rate than the demand for four or five star hotels like Hotel Ibis Lagos and Westwood Hotel. In Nigeria, the middle class accounts for about 23% of the population according to the African Development Bank (AFDB) data, with the majority living in urban areas. This segment of the population is responsible for a huge proportion of the increased spending on consumer goods, therefore improving the state of the economy. The growth in middle class in Nigeria follows the rise in the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), which increased, five times from $46 billion in 2000 to $247 billion in 2011, while GDP per capita has increased to about $1,600 and higher in 2016. Similarly, the country’s population has increased by about 42% during the same period rising from 119 million to the current estimated 170 million. The question then becomes, are Nigeria hoteliers ready to take advantage of this growing middle class.

Indeed, loyalty programs have grown exponentially in Nigeria. A hotel’s loyalty program works in very much the same way as frequent flyer miles work in the airline industry; Guests accumulate free awards when they make repeated purchases with a hotel. Typically a hotel loyalty program will offer guests (depending on the amount of points they have earned) value-added benefits such as free room upgrades, early check-in and late check-out, free spa treatments and guaranteed room availability. With these programs, you get exceptional benefits, fantastic savings and exclusive privileges no matter which of their hotels you choose to stay in across the country.
Traveling today is an entirely different experience, mostly organized through a smartphone. I'm not sure how I'd get from point A to point B without mine. Loyalty programs, a key element of the travel experience for seasoned travelers, aren't left out of this need for digital elements. Here are six ways loyalty programs offered by hotels in Nigeria are improving.
Loyalty is going mobile
When travelers aren't taking in their new surroundings, their noses are buried in their phones. From requesting a ride to the airport, booking an airline ticket, getting to the hotel and searching for a good local place to grab dinner once the journey is complete, the mobile experience is huge for most travelers. Loyalty programs are figuring this out, and amplifying apps to help travelers on the go. Starwood's SPG app, the proponent of Sheraton Lagos Hotel, Four Points by Sheraton and Le Méridien, includes enhanced mobile check-in, mobile room alerts and the option for loyalty members to request room upgrades and late check-outs in-app. This is a significant perk for those moments when you've had a rough flight, and all you want to do is head straight to your hotel room. The actual act of travelling isn't the only stage that needs mobile presence. According to Hotels.ng, most of the research and planning surrounding a trip is now done via mobile as opposed to on a desktop.
The Ladder system
One of the major impediments to the success of hotels' loyalty programs in the past was either the lack of desirable rewards or the high level of points needed to earn rewards. One of the most effective ways Nigerian hotels loyalty programs have improved in the last decade is a ladder system, with rewards improving at each step of the way. The ladder system ensures that there are rewards available to all consumers, no matter how frequent their stay or their point level. Of course, as members earn more points, they are able to redeem their points for higher-value rewards, making the ladder system an effective one at incentivizing loyalty. Like in Radisson Blu Anchorage Hotel, the members with the highest number of points are often referred to as "elite members". Overall, elite members of loyalty programs feel more satisfied, are more likely to recommend the hotel to their friends and are even willing to pay more at a hotel where they receive membership points and benefits. Again, by setting up a hotel’s loyalty program as a ladder system, you are offering consumers the ability to redeem for lower value items immediately or save their points to earn more valuable rewards over time.
Flexibility
Another very important factor in determining whether or not a hotel's loyalty program will be successful is the medium in which customers can interact with the program - either to check their point balance and/or redeem rewards. Flexibility ensures that members will be more engaged to participate in a loyalty program over the long-term. The most effective loyalty programs will be available on- and offline, and will offer multiple mediums for obtaining info and redeeming points to ensure that it is quick and easy for each consumer to redeem their points. While the most sought-after rewards vary per program, customers like rewards that are easily redeemable because consumers enjoy instant gratification. Some instantly redeemable rewards used in hotels like Sheraton Abuja Hotel include: offering free rooms with low point requirements, upgrades, promotions and downloadable content (mP3s, movies, e-Books, etc.). By giving consumers the ability to redeem whenever, wherever, using whatever payment method is most convenient to them, you will ensure the long-term success of your property's loyalty program. The Transcorp Hilton Abuja loyalty program allows users to pool their points with up to 10 friends or family members. The program also allows users to put a certain amount of points towards a stay rather than forcing them to pay for the stay entirely in one currency, a great feature for groups who don't have everyone participating in the program.
The Introduction of Points + Pay
By making it easy for customers to redeem their points for low-level rewards, hotels are able to drastically increase participation. This is another very effective way for hotels to increase their redemption rate by offering the consumers the ability to redeem for rewards using a combination of points plus currency. Ideally, the program would allow consumers the flexibility to use as few or as many points as needed, and make up the difference with a naira-value payment. For example, consumers could choose to pay with as few as 1 point with the remainder in cash, or in as little as N1 with the remainder in points.
Digital Rewards
Digital reward contents, such as instantly-downloadable music, movies, video games, eBooks, software, magazines and so on, have become increasingly attractive and effective. This is because the value of a loyalty reward has as much to do with its relevance to consumers as to how easy it is to earn enough points. In much simpler terms, loyalty program members want useful prizes and digital rewards at any easily attainable level. This makes good sense – consumers are increasingly interested in digital rewards, and tend to perceive them as valuable. Gearing a loyalty program more toward relevant, immediately-redeemable digital gifts like free Wi-Fi, eBooks, and downloadable movies shifts the emphasis from long-range point accrual (for a free room night, for instance) to a higher-interaction, incremental redemption process.
Digital-centric loyalty programs align directly with prevailing consumer trends. Digital content consumption is moving from an ownership to an access model, with typically “owned” media types like DVDs on the decline, and access to streaming content on the rise. Providing access to digital content as a reward puts a hotel’s loyalty program squarely at the front of consumer preference and profitability.
Receiving Point and Reward Notifications by Email
To let loyalty program members know how many points they have and how they can use them, hotel brands need a way of notifying them. Some do this with a stand-alone app for rewards management, or through a basic hotel management app. Virtually all of the major hotel software brands have some type of online dashboard that members can access to check points or redeem rewards. Alternatively, many hotel management systems have included customer relationship management features. They have enabled the addition of a customer-facing loyalty page to their hotel’s website to check and redeem points.
There are several hotels in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, and cities throughout Nigeria that have customer loyalty programs. These include: Nicon Luxury, Intercontinental Lagos Hotel, De Renaissance Hotel and so on. Loyalty has always had a key role in the hospitality industry, but digital elements need to be present to maintain the hospitality industry's relevance. The above loyalty efforts indicate we're moving in a promising direction.
It is reasonable, therefore, to say that hotels in Nigeria are moving in a direction that reduces limitations on reward redemption – a strategy that includes an evolution away from the “50% discount” as the sole reward for loyal behavior, and instead encourages guests with rewards that are attainable from just a single stay. These rewards are redeemable at any time and bring the guest right back to the brand’s site – after he or she has left the property to re-engage with the hotel brand once again.

Imagine staying in a luxury resort, only to have no idea as to how to open the curtains, control the TV or adjust the thermostat. The temperature, drapes, lights and entertainment are all controlled by Echo™. Well, don’t imagine, it already exists. This is 2017, and hotels are already going wild with interesting innovations, at Hotels.ng, we decided to look out to the future and predict - the hotel in 2050.

Floating Beds
Everybody loves the feeling of floating or sleeping on the air, at least that’s if you are not aerophobic. This idea is not as far off as imagined, as D.K. & Wei is already working on a floating sofa. The Cloud sofa™ is supposed to give one the illusion of floating on their own personal cloud. A magnet in the base is supposed to generate enough magnetic force to hold the sofa aloft. The same technology can be applied to hotel beds in the future.

Customizable Room Settings

The idea of being able to customize your hotel room’s wall colour, lights or room layout on your phone and then lodge in your own creation is one that has crossed many minds. This concept is not as far off as imagined as Starwood, the owners of Sheraton Abuja hotel and Le Meridien resort, have long kept tabs on their guests’ preferences. Soon, you'll be able to tell your hotel app your preferred temperature and lighting settings - “Hello Mr. X, do you prefer white lights, or amber tones”? At the very least, hotels could also offer extra services through the app, like letting you pick a specific room from what is available, so you could choose what floor you want and how close you want to be to the elevator.

Augmented Workout stations
It would be nice to have an entire gym in my hotel room rather than embarrassing myself with my lame workout routine at the gym. Another potential application of VR technology, Augmented workouts. This means that you feel like you're bike riding on the Third Mainland Bridge while, in fact, you've never left the room…and sweat too! Weight lifting might be a problem though…just saying.

Total Mobile Control
If you can check in for your flight or hotel on your phone and get a digital boarding pass, why should you have to show your credit or ID card at hotel receptions when they already have your booking details? Travellers could skip the line and walk straight into the hotel and go right to their room. Imagine walking into the hotel lobby of Sheraton Lagos hotel, Hilton hotel, Protea hotel or any other fancy hotel and you skip the queue at the check-in desk and head straight to the lifts. You already know your room number and have the key –your phone. Hotels would appreciate this because not only would it make their customers happier, they would also avoid having to cover the expense of lost and unreturned key cards…which happens to me a lot. Like hotel key cards that are rejected by door locks after your checkout date, the app on your phone would just delete your access to the room when you check out. You could even do this from your phone. Guests could rate specific rooms in the app and you could look back to see if a room you had been happy with on a previous stay is available. Popular rooms could become like exit row seats on a plane – reserved for frequent travelers or available at an upgrade fee.

Robot Butler
Robotics has the potential to be a big disrupter of current hospitality industry models. A number of advances in robotics, the ability of robots to empathize, to touch, to feel, the development of sensor technologies, and demographic and societal changes of accepting robotics in many service jobs means that robots will become increasingly common in the industry. Aloft™ has been testing a so-called "Botlr" at its Cupertino and Silicon Valley properties for years now. Soon, the digitized butler will be ready for the hospitality spotlight. Put in a request for service via your Lagos Airport hotel app—more towels for instance—and housekeeping will stash your items in the Botlr's internal compartment before dispatching him to your room. At the very least I won’t have to tip butlers whenever they put their palm out.
Incorporating robotic in hotel front office and check-in as well as in housekeeping and kitchens would definitely be a sight to behold. In fact, International Federation of Robotics predicts strong growth in a variety of applications before the end of this decade.

3-D Printing
3-D Printing is another area that may have profound effects on a number of hospitality operation areas including in the kitchens, engineering, guest amenities and other related areas. If spares can be printed on-demand, associated costs will probably change. On a larger scale, even complete hotel buildings can be 3-D. A number of companies are already experimenting with 3-D food printers for the domestic markets. How much longer before 3-D printers render room-service obsolete? When 3-D printed foods gain wide acceptance in the domestic markets, it has implications for take-away and eat-in restaurants alike. Print your lunch order instantly!

Smart Mirror
Spotted in a model Four Points’ room, a smart mirror embedded with a customized touch screen display populated with things like your email, Twitter feed, sports scores, or headlines would likely be common hotel feature by 2099. Designed to replace the full-length mirrors in rooms, these would allow you to cross a few things off your to-do list while brushing your teeth. Although not a fully developed concept, it is definitely something that I would love to see in Nigerian hotels.
In conclusion, high-tech gadgets are becoming a part of our everyday life. Like with the mobile phone, we are starting to be addicted; depending on them for our daily actions. As technology advances, so do these gadgets that we are fond of. We are constantly amazed by the new concepts created by young and ambitious designers. Not only will these hi-tech hotels of the future be cool, it has the potential to save money too. 2099 seems like such an understatement if one considers the rate at which innovative ideas are being incorporated into the hotel industry. We do hope to see these technology sooner…at least in our lifetime.

It is not unusual to experience fluctuations in any business, both in terms of sales and productivity, however, that faced by the hospitality industry in Nigeria, nay, the hotels in the country is overwhelming and has led to the closure of many hotels or left them in destitute conditions. Seasonality is a temporal imbalance which is mainly caused by a higher and lower concentration of the tourist/guest flow during certain periods of the year, affecting both supply and demand in such facilities. A long standing issue, probably the first to be encountered, for hotel owners and managers is how to maximize the sales of rooms during fluctuations- either to increase sales during down season or to shift sales during high season without losing the customer’s patronage. This means being able to sell the right room, at the right time and at the right price without displacing the guests who could have paid more. The problem with most hotel management strategies is that they approach seasonality in blocks of time rather than plan for each 365 days of the year.
There are three major categories of seasons in the hotel industry: the low, the off-peak and the peak periods. Low seasons are characterized by low patronage, low capacity utilization and high overhead costs. The major reasons for such fluctuations in patronage is the seasonal celebrations that occur throughout the year such as valentine’s day, Christmas, Local festive periods , on which both local and foreign tourist visit, and other official public holidays. The off-peak seasons have average patronage while the high or peak season are characterized by a high flow of patronage and often lead to overload of hotels’ capacity. The goal of hotels in Lagos, Abuja, Portharcourt and other highly concentrated areas of Nigeria is to be able to shift the demand or sales of the peak periods to the average and low periods or, at the very least, initiate processes that are directed at improving sales and patronage in these periods. Just as low sales season have negative impact on hotels performance, the peak periods brings its own punch of undesirable effects. Clients who see such hotels on booking sites like hotels.ng as unavailable most of the time tend to never book them when they become available during low seasons because the mind is wired to work on past information.
The idea that this phenomena is irrepressible should not be assumed. The way forward – however not straight – are numerous and depends on the overall operations strategies of the hotel in question. There are a range of actions that can be taken to minimize the negative impacts of such seasons and deseasonlize tourists’ and guests’ activities in a bid to maximize capacity. The traditional way of viewing seasonal pricing involved dissecting the year into blocks and charging prices accordingly – for high season and low seasons. This general approach also led to a number of other old-school revenue management strategies such as dropping room rates at the last minute to maximize occupancy and allocating fixed numbers of rooms to a particular market segment, channel or individual guest. One simple strategy that is often undervalued is selling to the room type. If you don’t stick to this approach, guests will come to expect the upgrade on arrival. At the very least, offer the upgrade but with an upgrade fee attached.
The standard way as practiced by most international hotels is forcasting the trend of room bookings either based on previous customer order or on demand-forcast. Today there are several scheduling strategies to use to maximize the use of capacity. Such include using Overall factors of capacity planning, Capacity Requirement Planning, Master Production Schedule and other operations management strategies to determine utilization rates of each rooms and schedule appropriately.
A well standing strategy is to increase sale and spread demand by using discounts on room rates and suggesting upgrades at a lower rate. A better strategy than attempting to shift demand during peak period is to differentiate the hotel offerings. Many successful hotels like Sheraton Hotel, Hilton Hotel, Radisson Blu and Four Points have taken advantage of this strategy by offering additional hospitality options like casinos, clubs, Events Hall and the likes. For instance Sheraton Hotels offers a world-class casino, swimming pool, a game of lawn tennis on-site ATMs, meeting spaces and ballrooms, Goodies Pub, La Giara, Terrace Bar and Crockpot and a fitness centre. Thus, they are able to increase patronage during low periods, reduce overhead costs and offer attractions to guest they let down during peak period.
No matter how big or small the hotel is, hotel managers need to adopt a suitable strategy to maximize revenue for any given day and season. Better approaches toward revenue management are being adopted by hotels and chains world-wide. Methodologically applying the above strategies or integrating it with a hotels’ overall strategy is certain to improve that hotel’s achievement of maximizing its facilities in any given day of the year.

Introduction

"Nigeria is a country greatly blessed by God". Any Nigerian above the age of ten must have heard this sentence a million times over. Nigeria is blessed with an abundance of mineral, human and natural endowments. While we have made significant progress in harnessing the great potentials of our mineral and human resources, we have treated our natural blessings with a measure of disguised contempt. Nigeria has a great number of breathtaking natural sceneries which if properly managed have the potentials to fetch enormous amounts of foreign exchange through tourism and tourism related activities.

Sadly however, our over reliance on crude oil has pronounced a death sentence on other critical and potentially yielding aspects of our economy including tourism. African countries like Kenya, Gambia, South Africa and Zimbabwe rake in billions of dollars in annual revenue from the tourism sectors of their respective countries. Ironically, these countries do not have as much tourist attractions as Nigeria yet our annual earnings in the tourism sector are meagre at best and rather appalling when compared to the abundance of resources that exist in the sector.

Below are a handful of relatively unknown places in Nigeria that if properly managed, would be transformed into major tourist centers and lead to a resuscitation of tourism in Nigeria.

Ogbunike Cave
The Ogbunike cave is a spot with enormous tourism potentials that have remained largely untapped. Located in ifite Ogbunike in Anambra State, the cave has a lenghty walkway of up to 317 steps and serves both spiritual and refuge purposes.
Visitors to the Ogbunike Cave can lodge at Finotel Classique Hotel, Golphin's Suite, Trig-point Hotel in Anambra.

Kamuku National Park
This National Park is located in Kaduna State and has a massive area of up to about 450 square miles.The ecology of the park is akin to that of the Sudan Savanna and is adjacent to the kwiambana Game Reserve. The Kamuku National Park has amazing water falls, an isolated inselberg with black and white patterns and a hill made of large boulders piled on top of each other.
A few lodging options for visitors to Kamuku National Park include: Hotel Seventeen, Pyramid hotel,Crocodile Hotel

The Biu Plateau
This is a highland area in Northeastern Nigeria which consists of several recently extinct volcanoes. This area has an amazing average elevation of up to 2,300 feet and a total area of up to 2000 square miles. The Biu Plateau provides a source for several tributaries that feed the River Gongola and also features a number of well-preserved volcanic cones which rise above the plateau in the Miringa volcanic zone.
The Biu Plateau spans across several states, so you tourists should pick their hotels based on the the part of the plateau that they plan to see.

Erin Ijesha Waterfalls
This is also known as the Olumirin waterfalls and is found in Erin-ijesha in Osun state Nigeria. This waterfall measures to an astonishing height of up to 70 metres and provides a breathtaking view of natural splendor amidst the greenery and serenity of its habitat.
A few good hotels near the waterfalls where visitors can lodge are listed below: Gold City Hotel, Zenababs Half Moon Resort, and Major Hotel.

Bar beach
The Lagos Bar beach has the enormous potentials of being a major tourist destination to be reckoned with in Africa and the entire globe. It being domiciled in the economically and socially strategic city of Lagos is an enormous advantage.
However, the Lagos bar beach has been bedeviled by a myriad of man-made anomalies which include the beach becoming a home to miscreants.
Double A Suite and Lounge, Limeridge Hotels, Topaz Lodge are some of the hotels that are close to the Lagos Bar Beach.

Ikogosi Warm springs
This mysterious work of nature is found in Ikogosi in Ekiti State, southwestern Nigeria. The warm spring flows side by side with a cold spring and these two meet at a confluence with each spring preserving its original thermal attributes. This mind blowing creation of nature provides a viable platform for tourism development and consequent resource accrual for the state and the Nation in general.
Visitors to Ikogosi Warm Springs can lodge in Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort, or Warm Spring Motel which are really close to the springs.

Olumo Rock
This tourist attraction is found in the city of Abeokuta in Ogun state. The Olumo Rock is an evidence of nature's awesome architectural abilities. The rock which has an awe inspiring height of up to 137 meters above sea level presents a great tourism potential for Ogun state and Nigeria in general.
1st Point Hotel and Suites, Dusmar Hotel, & Green Legacy Resort are few of the hotels that tourists can stay in.

In conclusion, the enormous gains of investing in tourism activities to a Country cannot be overemphasized. It is high time Nigeria as a country paid the tourism sector the attention it deserves as the sector provides a platform for job creation, revenue generation and economic emancipation.
A committed effort by the relevant authorities at investing in the aforementioned tourist spots and others littered across the country would play a pivotal role in helping the country overcome its present economic challenges.