By Imisioluwa Afunmiso
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has commissioned a new 120-room ibis Lagos Lekki Hotel, describing the facility as a vote of confidence in the state’s economy and growing investment opportunities.
The hotel, developed by HDV Nigeria Limited, was officially opened on Friday, August 14, 2026, with the governor represented at the commissioning ceremony by the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Abimbola Salu-Hundeyin.
Speaking at the event, Salu-Hundeyin said the investment went beyond the physical structure, noting that the facility would contribute to employment generation, tourism, conferences, entertainment, and the wider creative economy.
She described the Lekki axis as one of the fastest-growing areas of Lagos, where infrastructure, commerce, technology, and lifestyle developments converge.
According to her, the establishment of the hotel underscores the importance of hospitality infrastructure to the economic growth of Lagos.
“Beyond the elegance of this building, the rooms, the welcoming of guests, and the services that will be provided here today represent something much bigger. It is a vote of confidence in Lagos,” she said.
The governor’s representative added that the hotel would create jobs, support local businesses, accommodate visitors, and strengthen the economic ecosystem of the Lekki corridor.
The new facility features 120 soundproof rooms, meeting, conference, and exhibition halls with a combined capacity of about 1,000 guests, as well as additional meeting rooms on a dedicated floor.
Other facilities include a gym, an open-terrain swimming pool, a multi-storey car park, an open terrace lounge, centralised high-speed Wi-Fi, and integrated IPTV systems.
The hotel also incorporates internationally certified fire-safety and acoustic-insulation standards.
The Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of HDV Nigeria Limited, owners of ibis Lagos Ikeja and ibis Lagos Lekki, Olufemi Okenla, said the company’s investment in the hospitality sector was driven by the need to increase the number of internationally branded hotel rooms available in Lagos.
Okenla, however, called for improved project-financing arrangements to support private-sector investment in Nigeria’s construction and hospitality industries.
He said HDV Nigeria Limited had initially planned to establish 10 mid-scale hotels within 15 years following its 2008 Memorandum of Understanding with Accor, but funding and other challenges had slowed the expansion.
According to him, the company has so far established two ibis hotels in Lagos, providing a combined 285 internationally branded rooms.
Okenla urged the government and financial institutions to develop a project-financing model that allows investors sufficient moratorium periods before loan repayments commence, particularly for projects that require substantial capital before generating revenue.
The General Manager of ibis Lagos Lekki, Stefano Ciocca, said the hotel is positioned to serve as a hub for hospitality, business, and social interactions within the Lekki community.
He said the facility will provide accessible and human-centred hospitality while integrating with the rapidly developing area.
Also speaking, Modupe Okenla, wife of the company’s founder, said the hotel would provide additional employment opportunities and enable workers to build careers and gain experience in the hospitality industry.
The ibis Lagos Lekki is the second ibis-branded facility operated by HDV Nigeria Limited in Lagos, following the 165-room ibis Lagos Ikeja on Allen Avenue, which has been in operation since 2013.