In 2007, visitors at Victoria Crown Plaza in Victoria Island, Lagos, were enthralled not just by the facilities and services at the newly opened hotel, but the ever-smiling face and personal touch Rita Opiah brought to bear in her work.
Then, as a receptionist, the young and amiable Rita was part of the attractions in the hotel as most visitors fell for her service delivery charm, while complaints, even from the uncompromising guests, are resolved swiftly when she is involved.
As the saying goes, ‘the young shall grow’, and Rita has grown. From a humble beginning as a receptionist at Victoria Crown Plaza, she has grown to successfully deliver on management and executive roles in many hotels and is now the general manager of Park Inn by Radisson Serviced Apartments, Victoria Island, Lagos.
The unique thing about the feat is that she is the first female Nigerian general manager of Radisson Hotel Group in Nigeria and most probably, the first female Nigerian general manager of an international branded hotel in Nigeria.
Today, Rita has nearly two decades experience in the hospitality industry, and is a hospitality veteran in her own right.
Trailing her journey in the hospitality industry, she started her career in 2007 with Victoria Crown Plaza, she progressed to Protea Hotels in 2009, where she further honed her skills.
Of course, her hard work was recognized, leading to her swift upwards movement across the ranks. While in Protea, she was promoted severally from reservation department to sales and marketing as manager. Rita was effective in her sales role, leading marketing efforts for the hotel within a competitive and expanding market.
Her career progress also saw her taken on a leading role at the Marriott Hotels, and further consolidating on the role as deputy general manager at Bon Hotels.
As anticipated, with her years of service, she is an asset to her employers, especially the Park Inn by Radisson brand, a brand she is promoting with full commitment and service.
As the general manager, she oversees daily operations and executive management of her team at Park Inn by Radisson Serviced Apartments, Victoria Island, Lagos. She supervises over 100 employees, and has seen to the successful execution of a multi-million-naira upgrade of the hotel.
Her hotel is now Lagos premier business hub property, with well-appointed 56 rooms including lovely suites, swimming pool, event hall, meeting rooms, restaurant with bar, among others.
In his testimony on TripAdvisor, an impressed guest noted that Rita’s humility speaks volume as you will hardly know she is the general manager because she will always lend hand in helping a guest, fix a thing or get things working seamlessly among her team.
“Rita’s story is real and I love this kind of story. Her humble story is the type that will lead anyone to real success in a merit driven environment. These stories are the ones we need to be screaming so that our youths and even our elders will be inspired,” an anonymous guest enthused.
Moreover, her feats in the industry have been receiving recognitions and awards.
She has received many awards in that respect. Last year, she won Africa Travel 100 Women Award, which recognises exceptional women in the travel and tourism sector.
Rita holds a bachelor’s degree in Marketing and a masters’ degree in International Relations from University of Lagos.
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