Travel/Tourism
Second Four Points by Sheraton Hotel Opens in Tanzania
Marriott International has announced the opening of its second Four Points by Sheraton hotel in Tanzania, Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel. The original New Africa Hotel was built as the official residence of Kaiser Wilhelm II in 1896. It was used as a hospital during World War I before being converted into a hotel during the British Empire.
Sitting at the heart of the central business district of the city, overlooking the Harbor the hotel has since emerged as a landmark and an integral part of the burgeoning city. With the renovation and the rebrand the hotel continues to retain its unique charm, while delivering on the brand’s promise to provide what matters most to today’s independent travelers.
“Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel, is a great addition to our rapidly growing footprint in Africa and further consolidates the brands presence in Tanzania.
“We are confident that with its blend of stylish comfort and genuine service at a great value, the hotel will meet the rising demand for high-caliber lodging in this fast-growing market and soon emerge as a leading choice among business and leisure travelers,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.
Designed for the modern traveler with an emphasis on approachable design, the 174 room Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel, features spacious and contemporary rooms including suites.
It also offers an all-day dining, a coffee shop and a lounge-bar where guests can experience the brand’s signature Best Brews program and watch their favorite sports matches. The hotel also features The Spice Route, a signature restaurant overlooking the Harbor showcasing Pan Asian fine dining.
Other facilities include an outdoor pool and a state-of-the-art fitness center. With 1000 square feet of indoor meeting and banquet space spread across 12 flexible meeting rooms, the hotel is an ideal venue for gatherings of any size including elaborate social events and weddings.
The hotel offers the brand’s defining touches, including the Four Comfort Bed, complimentary bottled water in all rooms, fast and free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel and an energizing breakfast with freshly brewed coffee that helps guests start the day right.
“Our vision is to offer an uncomplicated travel experience for both business and leisure. Perfectly situated in the heart of the city, the hotel is at the epicenter, steeped in history and surrounded by local attractions,” said Siddharth Chaudhry General Manager, Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam, New Africa Hotel. “We look forward to welcoming our guests with the brand’s signature warm and uncomplicated yet comfortable service.”
Four Points has proven to be a global hit with its distinctive identity and ability to meet the increasing demands of the modern, everyday traveler. The brand is experiencing incredible growth momentum having surpassed the 250th hotel milestone globally.
Over the past two years in East Africa alone, the brand has opened Four Points by Sheraton Hurlingham, Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport and Four Points by Sheraton Arusha with Four Points by Sheraton Dar es Salaam becoming the fourth property to open in the region.
By Aduragbemi Omiyale
A travel card designed for tourists, business visitors, Diaspora returnees has been launched by Verve in partnership with Providus Bank.
Known as the ProvidusVerve Travel Card, the Naira-based travel card will allow inbound travellers to enjoy a smooth, secure, and convenient payment experience throughout their stay in Nigeria. It was powered by Verve’s secure.
Created to support the surge of tourists, expatriates, business visitors, conference delegates, and returning diaspora expected during the festive Detty December season, the ProvidusVerve Travel Card enables seamless payments for transportation, hotels, dining, shopping, entertainment, and everyday essentials nationwide.
The card also works on select global merchant platforms that accept Verve, including Netflix, Google Play, and other digital services, ensuring travellers enjoy uninterrupted access to familiar services.
The ProvidusVerve Travel Card eliminates the hassle of sourcing naira or converting foreign currency on arrival. It enables instant, secure transactions, reduces reliance on cash, and supports compliance with the cashless policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
It also mitigates the risks associated with carrying physical cash such as loss, theft, or fraud, offering a safe, regulation-aligned option for both online and in-person payments.
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card is a timely solution for inbound travellers seeking reliability, security, and simplicity while navigating Nigeria.
“Together with Providus Bank, we have created a product that eliminates the friction traditionally associated with accessing local payments.
“Whether for tourism, business, or festive activities, this card ensures a smooth financial experience from the moment visitors land,” the Vice President for Issuing and Acquiring Management for Africa at Verve International, Mr Paul Ohakim, stated.
On his part, the Divisional Head for Product Management and Solution Delivery at Interswitch, Mr Ademola Adeniran, described the partnership as a reflection of “Verve’s commitment to designing products that respond to real user needs.”
“The ProvidusVerve Travel Card supports everyday experiences — from booking rides and hotels to shopping, streaming, and dining. It provides inbound travellers with a secure, compliant, digital-first way to experience Nigeria without financial barriers,” he added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Mr Festus Keyamo, has disclosed that the federal government may recover and sell the assets of Dana Air to refund passengers and travel agents whose funds remain trapped following the suspension of the airline’s operations.
The Minister disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday at the Ministry’s fourth quarter stakeholders’ engagement to enhance governance for effective service delivery in aviation.
Speaking at the event themed “leveraging public feedback to drive excellence in aviation services, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will be directed to probe why funds trapped by the airline are yet to be refunded.
He revealed that the authority suspended the operations of the airline as a matter of choice between safety and disaster.
“For Dana, the problem is that it was a choice between safety and disaster. So we didn’t take the commercial thing as priority. The priority was safety, and we all looked at the damning reports that we had met on the table.
“It was a decision of the NCAA to suspend them, but I pushed them to say, look, these are the reports we are seeing on the table about safety record, about lack of standards that put the lives of Nigerians at risk. If they continue flying, I don’t know whether most of us will be here. Many of us would have been victims of one of those flights. God forbid.”
According to him, “I have asked Najomo (NCAA director general) to dig deep to find out how those passengers and agents will be refunded. He has to dig deep on that.
“One solution will also be that if that same individual or those entities are trying to come back to aviation under any guise, whether to go and register a new AOC or use any business within the aviation sector, they have to go and settle their debts first.
“We should look at their assets. There are assets that are still available. Let them sell their assets. Let’s cannibalize their revenue and pay people. Let’s find a way to go after their assets and get money to pay Nigerians who are owed.
“NCAA should do that because they can’t get away with it.”
By Adedapo Adesanya
The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) said it has imposed a N5 million penalty on Qatar Airways for consumer protection violations.
The announcement was made on Wednesday by the NCAA’s Director of Public Affairs & Consumer Protection, Mr Michael Achimugu, on X, adding that there may be other sanctions depending on how the airline treats other cases.
“Glad to announce that, today, the NCAA has sanctioned @qatarairways to the tune of five million naira being penalty for consumer protection-related infractions. In addition, the letters of investigation (LOI) written to the airline over other cases may lead to further sanctions if not treated satisfactorily,” Mr Achimugu wrote.
The fine followed an incident when a Nigerian passenger was accused by a Qatar Airways cabin crew member of sexual harassment during boarding in Lagos for a flight to the United States via Doha, Qatar.
The allegation was only reported in Doha, where the passenger was arrested, detained for 18 hours, fined, and compelled to sign a document written solely in Arabic.
Qatar Airways allegedly refused to continue his journey, forcing him to purchase another ticket at considerable financial and reputational cost.
The NCAA said it invited Qatar Airways’ country manager to a meeting over the incident, but he failed to attend, sending subordinates instead.
“I understand that some countries do not have advanced aviation consumer protection regulations like Nigeria does. In certain cases, some countries don’t even have any. This creates a situation where airlines operating out of those countries (mostly national carriers) act with disdain towards consumer protection enforcement in Nigeria.
“This is not a situation that we would accept here. It is against the law for ANY Airlines not to respond to the NCAA. It is against the law to provide false information to the NCAA. It is against the law to fail to comply with the provisions of Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023,” Mr Achimugu said in an earlier post.
In September, the NCAA accused Qatar Airways of mistreating Nigerian passengers and failing to comply with consumer protection regulations under Part 19 of the NCAA Regulations 2023.
The regulator then threatened stiff penalties against the airline for repeatedly disregarding its directives.
-
Feature/OPED6 years agoDavos was Different this year
-
Travel/Tourism9 years ago
Lagos Seals Western Lodge Hotel In Ikorodu
-
Showbiz3 years agoEstranged Lover Releases Videos of Empress Njamah Bathing
-
Banking7 years agoSort Codes of GTBank Branches in Nigeria
-
Economy3 years agoSubsidy Removal: CNG at N130 Per Litre Cheaper Than Petrol—IPMAN
-
Banking3 years agoFirst Bank Announces Planned Downtime
-
Banking3 years agoSort Codes of UBA Branches in Nigeria
-
Sports3 years agoHighest Paid Nigerian Footballer – How Much Do Nigerian Footballers Earn