What makes a hotel luxurious? While the definition may differ with each individual, generally there is an increasing appetite for more indulgence and pampering. AES Luxury Hotel Apartments, Abuja promises all these and even more. It offers a modern and refined retreat with chic interiors and sophisticated designs interspersed by beautiful paintings and art work, all inspired by the many travels of the hotel’s initiator. The accommodations are a perfectly designed getaway from the monotony of the stereotypical hotel rooms of the nation’s capital and their exorbitant prices.
Paul Murry, AES group general manager, accepts that as the clientele to the Nigerian hotel industry matures, it’s about being fun without losing a grip on providing comfort and opulence. This he intends to do with the lodge’s 70 all en-suite rooms, each personalised with its own colour, distributed over four floors and a knit of complexes well laid out in the surrounding facility. Whether executive or basic, each room blends contemporary furniture, refined materials, high tech entertainment units and superior finishing with an attention to detail.
“We want to make this a destination place,” says Murry, “and AES will be a destination place. We want to cater to all sorts of clients whether it’s business, leisure or corporate. We envisage that we will have long-term staying guests here.”
The 10 executive suites ‘designed to take your breath away’ come with a living room space, dining area and a considerably large and equipped kitchen. Also its dual rooms come with sit-down showers and Jacuzzis both fitted with playful lighting and the latest technology in digital music players. The luxury single rooms possess a warm and elegant feel with heavenly marble walls and floors that flow from passageways which bounce light and create illumination that is both soothing and refreshing.
Murry calls it the ‘wow effect’, noting that the en-suite rooms are fresh and in-sync with today’s global hospitality industry which has evolved toward spaces that feel more residential and relaxed. Notably, each floor boasts boardrooms with modern conferencing equipment.
AES Luxury Hotel Apartments is nestled in a beautiful grove of lush greenery, ideally located a mere 15 minutes drive in either direction to the city centre or the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport. The tranquillity of the environment is unbroken as you walk into the lobby which, thankfully, lacks the cluster-phobia many hotel foyers in the city seem to possess. Outback and paying homage to the avant-garde fusion of nightlife and the outdoors, a lovely enclave around the swimming pool has been created with a bar and an entertainment spot able to comfortably seat up to 300 people, located in a trough of luxuriant vegetation; perfect for a relaxed wedding or hip party.
Expect a lot of standard services like “something out of Dubai” with a private bar and coffee spot that will cater to in-house guests alone. In all, the facility has four bars, a night-club, a gym, and two restaurants; the main restaurant offers a menu of Mediterranean-Nigerian fusion while the other is French a-la-carte.
Abuja’s luxury hotel and apartment sub-sector is being fuelled not only by affluent leisure travellers and businesspeople, but also by diplomats, conference delegates and everyday people seeking an escape. 24-hour standby generators, wireless Internet (WiFi) and high-profile security services have all become the standard offerings from any hotel in the sector. However, AES ups it a notch by affording electrified fences around the entire premises and only one entrance to the facility’s grounds.
“It’s certainly ideal for embassies, security-conscious people. We have private armed guards which will be very discreet. So the security is of a very high standard,” Murry says.
While jokingly informing that the elevators can make coffee, he admits the hotel intentionally embraces the latest technology has to offer for the benefit of its clients, adding that the plan is to continuously transition into the best of contemporary standards the international hospitality industry demands.
Notably, a couple of luxurious brands are expected to enter the ever expanding Abuja hospitality market as the city pursues its dream of becoming Africa’s conferencing hub. This means stiffer competition for brands like AES. However, Murry says, “Competition will always come, competition is good. We are ready for any and everything. And from what we have seen in Abuja, we are going to set a new benchmark in the industry.”
The emergence of AES on Abuja’s hospitality landscape is particularly timely as patrons seek secure yet opulent alternatives to the few and often overcrowded 5-star hotels in the city.
AES Hotel and Luxury Apartments will have its official opening on June 1 with a cock-tail party catering to a select guest list. “Wine will be flowing to the invitees. We are expecting to do a reception to a select clientele,” according to Murry.
AMETO AKPE, Abuja
