A Hidden Paradise In Ibadan
standard. Yes, I designed it, though I had one or two contribution from my architect, engineer and my wife, who is an interior designer. I can boldly tell you that I’m a man of taste and anyone who has met me can testify to that,” he said.
On his decision to have the hotel in Ibadan, as against Lagos where he’s currently based, Olatunji explained, “Maybe you don’t know, but I grew up in Ibadan; this place is like my second home. I had my primary, secondary and tertiary education here in Ibadan. I have always wanted to have businesses around the globe not just Nigeria, so, when I conceived the idea of Worldlilies Guest House, in fact the first place that came to my mind was Ibadan; not Lagos.”
While speaking on the business potentials of Ibadan, he said, “as a businessman, you need to have foresight and Ibadan is the third most populous place in Nigeria. By 2036, experts have predicted that the population will skyrocket to 11.3million and you know what that means for the hospitality industry. So I see a new Ibadan set to emerge.”
On his experiences so far doing business in Ibadan, Olatunji noted, “Things are picking up fast, this is just our third month of operation, so, I don’t want to be too forward, but we have great expectation and so far, it hasn’t been bad.
Ibadan people are actually more social than we perceive them to be, though we know Lagos is a buzzer! But whenever people come in here, they are always surprised at the standard of our facilities; that’s what we are bringing to the table,” he said.
On how he plans to maintain the facilities and the possibility of giving out the facility to international hotel managers, the CEO said, “In the long run, yes! Even though the present team on ground is doing fantastically well. But you know as time goes on, we will have to expand and that means we will need more professional hands.” On expansion, he said, “Of course; even the name should tell you that. Like I said earlier, Ibadan is just a starting point by the grace of God.”
Speaking on his interest in the hospitality industry, Olatunji said, “hospitality business for me has always been a thing of passion; I felt really fulfilled when we started operation. But I know we still have a lot of work to do and by God’s Grace, we will sail through.”
Though the hospitality industry in Nigeria is currently going through some challenges, Olatunji see a bright future for the sector.
“The hospitality industry is a huge industry all over the world. I understand that there are many challenges here, but it’s never a write off; not in this era of new technologies, tourism and development. Hotels are always in demand as more and more people are travelling and in need of accommodation; that’s why all our facilities are of international standard. What I would say is that the business is capital intensive; so, you have to have patience and a lot of it,” he said.