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AccorHotels, a French multinational hospitality company, has anounced the signing of a deal to build its first Novotel property in Lagos, Nigeria's commericial capital. AccorHotels said it signed a management agreement with Ekulo Group of Companies, a Lagos-based conglomerate, which will manage the 170-room Novotel Victoria Island Lagos.

Novotel is a hotel brand within the AccorHotels group. The Novotel Victoria Island Lagos, which will be opened in 2023, will expand Accor’s presence in Nigeria to 1,642 keys (or rooms) across 14 properties. AccorHotels has seven properties currently in operation and seven additional hotels in its development pipeline across the MGallery, Mantis, Grand Mercure and Pullman brands.

“We are delighted to sign this agreement with Ekulo, which marks another milestone in Accor’s Africa growth story and builds on the success of the Novotel brand in Nigeria and other key destinations across the region,” said Mark Willis, CEO of Accor Middle East & Africa. “We have identified Nigeria as one of the continent’s most important development markets, with Lagos and other strategic locations, including Abuja, presenting huge growth potential for Accor’s unrivalled portfolio of hospitality brands.”

According to a statement released on Monday, the Novotel in Lagos will be located on Ahmadu Bello Road in Victoria Island. It will feature 170 rooms and suites, 400 square metres of meeting space, a swimming pool and gym and three dining venues, including an all-day dining restaurant, lobby bar and a pool bar.

“Novotel Victoria Island Lagos will make its mark as a stylish, sociable and comfortable location in the Victoria Island district, providing guests and local residents with a place to dine, meet and relax or stage a corporate meeting or event,” AccorHotels said.

The other six properties in the development pipeline include the 125-key Art Hotel, which will be operated under the Mantis brand, in which Accor has a 50 percent stake, plus Grand Mercure Abuja and Mantis ARM Lakowe Lakes.

Accor, which was the first international hotel company to enter the African market in 1975 with the opening of Mercure Ismalia Forsan Island, Egypt, commands the largest market share of any hospitality group on the continent in terms of keys. It has more than 24,566 rooms across 157 properties in 22 countries and a pipeline of 10,882 rooms in 52 hotels.

As the leading and longest-serving hotel operator in Africa, the group’s blueprint for long-term growth focuses on balancing its footprint by establishing a presence in key gateway cities and identifying gaps in the market for its portfolio of 30-plus brands.

In line with Accor’s Planet 21 ethos, Accor said it is also committed to conservation-led projects that promote the sustainable development of African communities. In partnership with Mantis, the South African hospitality company in which it purchased a 50 percent stake in April 2018, more than 28 eco-resorts and hotels are planned for the continent.