Our unique services stand us out from the rest, says Futoa Hotel GM  

Mbakwe Michael is the secretary of the Nigeria Hotel Association (NHA), Imo State chapter, and general manager of Futoa Hotel Plaza, Ihiagwa, Owerri. In this interview, he tells SABY ELEMBA what makes the hotel tick and why customers cannot stop coming back.

Can you walk us through Futoa Hotel Plaza. What is the catch with this new establishment?

Futoa Hotel Plaza is one of the biggest hotel establishments in Imo State with the best and finest state-of-the-art outdoor and in-door activities. It is a place to be and behold. We have the finest of things, just anything you can think of as far as the hotel and hospitality industry is concerned. It is a place that houses so many activities, a place that you can come to, and by the time you go back you will feel very happy that you did come to Futoa Hotel Plaza.

Why did you choose to locate such a magnificent hotel in Ihiagwa instead of Owerri Municipality?

The reason is very simple. Looking around Owerri as a town and a capital city, you have so many hotels scattered around. Ihiagwa is just five minutes’ drive to Owerri. If the government, from what they say, can connect the road from Nekede to Ihiagwa, on a good day within five minutes you are already in the town. Therefore, we thought it wise to extend such hospitality to that area to equally give that opportunity to the people there so they too can enjoy hospitality experience.

How long has this hotel been in business?

The hotel started operation on 13 October 2022. Between that time and now, a lot of activities have been tremendously going on. As it stands, we are on air, on Darling FM, Boss FM, and other radio stations as well as online. With all these things, a lot of people have come to actually see that whatever we say, we equally ensure we do that.

We are open for business 24 hours. Our lights are on 24 hours. Then we have a gym section, and we have quality food on offer in our restaurant. We have an exclusive bar, we have a lounge around, and an Olympic-size swimming pool. Then we have a very large space for events. Assuming you cannot use the hall, you can use that space, put your canopy there and hold your activities. We have a business centre, a salon, and much more. It is just a place you can do your business and while leaving, you leave as a happy person.

Could you give us some more detail? For instance, how many rooms do you have in the hotel?

Futoa Hotel Plaza has 54 rooms available for use. And, as I said, we equally offer services such as a cold room for getting ice blocks for sale and to help our people chill their drinks and other things. The patronage, considering that it is a new hotel, and because we are trying to reach out, is quite on the increase.

Many other hotels have gained ground long before Futoa, and those are the ones you are competing against. How are you dealing with that competition?

We know that there are other hotels as big as we are, but we have tried to create a niche for ourselves by having a unique cuisine arrangement where foods you cannot get in any of the hotels in Owerri are prepared. By the time you come to our cuisine, we will offer you a different kind of pork, stylishly prepared and which no other hotel in the state can do; we introduced it. By the time you eat it, I am sure you will equally condemn other ones prepared in other places. We also have other local dishes, uniquely and originally prepared in our own local way, and not the polished type that at the end of the day people will begin to have health issues, we can boast of that. That is endearing customers and guests to our facility.

We have a massive space for a gym, and we have a good number of gym equipment for various body exercises. We also have a salon for your haircut. There are little extra services we offer that others do not offer. This makes us different from others. And we choose to call this place hotel plaza.

Why the name hotel plaza?

Good. When we mention plaza, what comes to mind is only a large building that accommodates all. We have a hotel plaza where so many activities take place; it is beyond hotel arrangement. We have a boutique, gym, salon, business centre, and we have a cold room for production of ice blocks, many sections where all manner of activities take place. In other words, Futoa Hotel Plaza is a place where you can come with one particular piece of clothing, and by the time you are going out, you will have as many as you want even down to footwear.

What’s the magic? Do you manufacture these things and give them out to your customers and guests?

No, we procure these things and also put them for sale at lower prices. As a new hotel all things should be new.

Could you tell us briefly about the staff?

In addition to the fine quality of services we offer, we have well-trained and qualified staff; the kind of staff that will understand that you have come to recreate yourself; the kind of staff that understand that some people may not be in a good mood from where they are coming from and they need a place of comfort. Our staff are trained to give you comfort with the fine and quality services we offer. They do it in such a way that when you are leaving, you leave as a happy person. You are treated like a king. They understand what hospitality service is all about, so they are trained to make people get the fulfillment of coming to this place.

And, of course, the hotel can boast of over 40 staff, and that means employment for our youths; that means we help the government to reduce unemployment; that also means increasing the internally generated revenue (IGR) of the state government.

The clock is ticking towards the Yuletide and many Imo citizens in the diaspora and non-citizens as well will return from their various stations to celebrate the season. Do you have strategies put in place to draw these potential guests to enjoy maximum comfort at Futoa Hotel Plaza?

Yes, we have a lot of fun and fanfare activities. Our stage is on and available to entertain our people both at home and abroad. Also, as I speak to you, we have 50 percent of our rooms already booked down. This is a hotel that is built on 12 plots of land. That tells you how massive the place is. Because of the massive land the hotel is built on, there is entertainment this way and entertainment the other way.

As a new hotel, what challenges have you faced?

We have a problem with the road, the link road is so bad. We are in dry season now, that’s why people can find it easy, otherwise the problem should have continued but we call on the government to come and repair the road. The road was done from Naze Junction to a little distance after the Federal Polytechnic Nekede and the work stopped. On the other hand, the distance from the hotel to Obinze is not up to 3 kilometres. We are calling on the government to reconnect the roads. Even though people who have visited us and enjoyed our services are not relenting in coming to patronise us because of the quality services we offer, we appeal to the government to repair the road. If the government repairs the roads, our patronage will increase and that will also amount to an increase in the revenue payable to the state government.

Security has been tight and we will continue to maintain and provide tight security for our customers and guests. We have well-armed security personnel in-charge even from the gate, and we have CCTV everywhere in the hotel. Our security office is upstairs and by the time you approach the gate, if you have bad intentions our security personnel will spot you.

So we are inviting all and sundry to make it a date at our Futoa Hotel Plaza. It is a place you will always remember.