“Business now at a standstill": Lagos hoteliers decry low patronage

The Lagos Hoteliers Association (LHA) on Friday decried low patronage in hotels, attributing it to people’s reaction to the spread of COVID-19.

The Association’s President, Mr. Adekunle Akilo, said a good number of hoteliers lamented over the low patronage during their recent meeting in Lagos.

According to him, the low patronage can also be attributed to the government’s recent directives to minimise social gatherings.

He noted that visits from neighboring towns had reduced as people were trying to be careful and guide against contracting the viral disease.

“Business in hotels is now at a standstill; personally I don’t even have one customer in my hotel presently. It is that bad.

“We had a meeting yesterday with members and the major issue discussed was on how to tackle this issue of low patronage, it is the same story across board.

“We observed that visits from neighboring towns have reduced and hotel businesses cannot thrive when there are restrictions on travels,’’ he said.

The president urged the Federal Government to put into consideration the economic implications of restricting some gatherings.

He said the government should rather intensify efforts in sensitising Nigerians on the precautionary measures for guidance and not stop people’s activities.

“Government is only compounding issues by stopping people from attending religious gatherings and schools; this will have an adverse effect on the economy.

“We hope things will take the right shape soon anyway,’’ he said.