I opened hospitality industry to give employment to people–Engr Onyenuchie, CEO Diamond Pool Hotel & Suites
Engr Ikechukwu Charles Onyenuchie, the Chief Executive Officer, Diamond Pool Hotel & Suites Limited, has made it clear that he established his Hotel, a Five Star Hotel, with the sole aim to give employment to people.
Engr Onyenuchie made the revelation in a chat with journalists at Diamond Pool Hotel, Bucknor, Lagos, recently.
Aside Diamond Hotel, the young Engr Onyenuchie, in partnership with Barrister Chukwurah Nnajiofor, also superintendents over other additional hotel while the third is still under construction.
He spoke about his hotels and what they do, “I am Engr Ikechukwu Onyenuchie, the CEO of Directserve Hub Intl Ltd incorporated in Nigeria. We are into hotel management and any other business associated to it including entertainment. We are the people that took over the Management of this Diamond Pool Hotel, we also have two other hotels, New Wave Hotel based at Ijegun, we have entertainment there from Monday to Sunday, everyday in the week, we have different kinds of artists and people come from various parts of Lagos to entertain themselves.
“Also Diamond Hotel is located at Bucknor, Lagos State. We have club, we have rooms, we have apartments, we have suites. We have all manner of local and continental dishes, our kitchen is topnotch,” Engr Onyemuche disclosed.
On how he came about the beautiful name, Diamond Hotel, he said, “You know over here there are many hotels around; we looked for something which would be different from what others are naming theirs, of course the name Diamond is special, it rings bell. And when you step your feet here, everything here is diamond. The treatment is special, the workers here, the receptionists, the waitresses, they give you the best of the bests, the managers here, and that is because we employ people that have hotel management experience. Most of them are graduates. We have enough rooms, this is a 65-room hotel, we have room and parlour, all you needed to do is just to come with your bag, and then get what you want to cook, we have gas-cooker, every other thing is there. If you want to stay one year, you are free. Our rooms, our parlours are well equipped with home theatre, we have freezers and the rest of them, just come in with your bag, your family, Diamond Hotel and Suites is a nice place to be,” he added.
For those that enjoy swimming, there is good news for them. Diamond Hotel has a beautiful well- care-for swimming pool, which Engr Ikechukwu described as world class because it meets all international standard specifications as it is well care for by best treatment hands, “We have two people that are in charge of our swimming pool, one person empties the pool after use, washes it and then replaces it. Then the second person is an instructor, for people who don’t know how to swim, he teaches them, guide them. When you enroll, one week to three weeks, you become an expert. There are people also, they can swim but they don’t have the confidence, they are here, or maybe there is accident, somebody falls into the pool, we have somebody who helps to get the person out. But since we took over the Management of this hotel, there has never been an accident and there will never be,” Engr Onyenuchie further stated.
Onyenuchie who hails from Awka Etiti in Idemmili South Local Government Area of Anambra State assured his customers that Diamond Hotel is adequately secured with watertight security and sound modern innovative technological equipment. “Starting from the gate, we are in a gated estate, we have security that man the gates, each gate has personnel manning them 24 hours, and also we work with the Nigerian Police Force, we have their number, they have our number, each time we call them, if there is emergency, it doesn’t take them 5 minutes to respond. So we don’t have problem of theft here, and no problem of molestation, whatsoever. Most importantly, we also deploy technology to enhance our security, the entire hotel is covered with CCTV, from the estate gate, you are captured, while you are in the hotel, you are also captured, so this place is highly secured.
We provide 24hrs light everyday through special dedicated line 33 on band A with a special transformer solely for the hotel use, high capacity electric solar system, 3 standby 160kva diesel powered listers,” he said.
On the relationship between the hotel management and the state government, he said so far so good, adding that the management is law-abiding and complies with Lagos State laws. “There is no problem, except that you know that in Lagos State there are several agencies, they come for one payment, levy, tax or the other, environmental service or fire service charges, they are normal, we abide, we comply, because we are safety conscious. We also patronize government approved fumigation companies, so any form of levy, we comply, because that is the only way government can make money, and when they make money they would make Lagos better, so we are law-abiding.”
On personal note, he spoke about the genesis of his hospital business saying, “I am an Engr, I read Electrical/Electronic and Computer Engineering at the Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, and Administrative Management at the Abia State University.
“Actually I practise Engineering, I worked with Global Scansystems Ltd., destination Inspection Company, the technical arm of Nigerian Customs Services.I worked with the technical arm of the Nigerian Customs, However, within the first five months of Buhari Government the contract was terminated because originally it was based on Build, Operate and Transfer basis, the Nigerian Customs, they don’t have the technical know-how to operate the new technology, importation, clearing, and even scanning, our company was to provide this expertise in all the international land borders, international airports, international seaports across Nigeria. I happened to be one of the managers at one of the airports in charge of scanning.
“Then I was transferred to Onne land border, from there to Idiroko, also to Mutala Muhammed Airport, before now I was made in charge of training in Nigeria, from airport to airport, seaport to seaport, land border to land border, before the contract was terminated. By the time we left, I said I am a young man, I have a young family, I opened a company, Gicon Global Synergies Ltd.,
a customs clearing and forwarding company that also offers destination inspection, freight facilitation, import-export consulting services, still doing the same work but now as a consultant.
a customs clearing and forwarding company that also offers destination inspection, freight facilitation, import-export consulting services, still doing the same work but now as a consultant.
“That company is serving as a consultant to Nigerian customs, to train people on what to import and what not to import, and when you want to import, how do you go about it, the company is still running as we speak.
“So I said all this while I have been working for somebody, now let me create work for others, I partnered with a friend abroad to open a hospitality industry, every year I will make projections as to what we want to achieve that year, profit projection, what we want to do, as a matter of fact, I worked to get that achieved, the following year I told him one hotel is not enough, so before you know what is happening we got about three branches, that first one we opened, started expanding and we started buying properties around that place.
“But at a point I said I will not continue this way because, it is better we part ways, since he has come back to Nigeria, I said you have learnt a little about what we are doing, you can continue. I have to establish myself and find something to feed my family when I saw the partnership was no longer moving as expected. So I started with New Wave Hotel, from there we got this place. And we have gotten another one at Alaba International. We are building that one now, we bought a land and we are developing it. My partner is a lawyer, Barrister Chukwurah Nnajiofor,” he said.
Speaking on where he would like to see the company in the next five years, he said, “This hotel, we want to take it to another level, I pray that this area when people hear Diamond Hotel everybody will come to identify with the hotel, no matter what you are enjoying in other places and you feel you have not arrived, come here, for your evening relaxation and enjoyment, for your birthdays, for your hangouts, for your hotel bookings, for clubbing and the rest of them, so we have everything you can get in the hospitality sector.”
Engr Onyenuchie who is married and have children, commended those living in Bucknor and its environs, Nigerians, visitors to Nigeria who want a place for relaxation, they should come to Diamond Hotel, and also urged those that have not visited the hotel to come and patronized them and have a test of the best of hospitality treat. “I don’t think there is anything we don’t have here, entertainment, relaxation, they are all here. If you feel you are down or you have made money and you want to enjoy your money, come, we have club, the vibes here, the club is Friday, Saturday, Sunday, we have everything here to make you happy, we have swimming pool, even if you don’t know how to swim, come we have instructors here to teach you. We have event halls with capacity for 100 people, we have that of 70, 60 and 50 people in that order.”
In terms of corporate social responsibility (CSR), he said, “The hotel is for the people living in Bucknor, they should come around and we socialize, we believe in corporate social responsibility, it has always been in our mind and they must feel our presence. The workers here, we give preference to the natives of this locality, unless they do not have such needed expertise. Then all the menial jobs, we don’t take people from outside, the hotel is for them.
