A former President, Ho
tel Owners Forum, Mr Ekong Onofiok, has urged the Federal Government to initiate steps for classification of hotels in the country to further boost the hospitality industry.
Onofiok made the call in an interview with newsmen in Abuja yesterday.
He said that classifying hotels in the country had long been canvassed by the forum, adding that it would assist tourists in the choice of location to be while in the country.
“Hotel classification gives the guest advance knowledge of the type and nature of the hotel he or she is moving into and what to expect.
“In the past two years, we have been running the hotel industry without clear knowledge as to what the guest should be expecting, and unfortunately, we in the private sector do not have the responsibility of classification.
“So, we can only wish that classification is done and it can only be done by the Nigerian government with the collaboration of international organisations responsible for classification.
‘’It is something that we want and it is something that we need and it is something we believe that is good for the industry,’’ he said.
Onofiok stated that the body had written to all the appropriate government agencies, including the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) and the Ministry of Tourism on the issue.
He added that the association wrote to the Tourism Department of the Federal Capital Territory Administration, which also had the right to classify hotels in collaboration with the Federal Government.
On services offered in hotels, he said that the forum held high standards sacrosanct, adding that members had the mandate to ensure compliance by adhering to criteria.
“There is a minimum standard that is expected because one of the criteria we use in registering our members is assessment of standard; we don’t just use payment of fees.
“You would have met a minimum requirement and it is on this basis that you will be registered as member of the forum.
“Therefore, we advise the public and organisations in need of hotel to note that if  a hotel  is not registered with us, it is most likely that its standard cannot be guaranteed.
“But, where it is our member, if the standard is not up to date you can report to the association and appropriate action will be taken because it is one of the requirements for membership.
Onofiok explained that some hotels operated on their own, adding, however, that the government, especially security agencies, had strongly advised that all hotels must register with the body.
He said the advice from the security agencies was due to the fact that the forum had a strong working relationship with the security agencies as a measure of guaranteeing the safety of guests in the country.