Travel/Tourism
Hilton Unveils First Hotel in Montenegro
Dipo Olowookere
Hilton Hotels & Resorts has announced the official opening of Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora, marking its debut in Montenegro.
The new Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora is situated in the city centre and close to all public and commercial facilities, making it the perfect option for both business and leisure guests.
Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora offers 180 spacious and modern guest rooms, including 23 suites. The hotel’s Presidential Suite boasts a panoramic lounge overlooking the city.
“Montenegro, one of the oldest European states and often referred to as the pearl of the Mediterranean, is an exciting new destination for Hilton as we expand our global portfolio of more than 570 hotels,” said Andreas Lackner, regional head, Hilton brand management, Hilton. “We are delighted to offer our renowned hospitality to visitors and locals alike in Montenegro’s capital city. Opening a Hilton hotel in another attractive location allows our guests more choice when travelling, and we are confident Podgorica will be on the top of travellers’ lists.”
Guests and locals can enjoy a variety of food and beverage options on-property, including:
Sky Bar: located on the eighth floor, an indoor and outdoor bar offering spectacular views over the entire city.
Restaurant Crna Gora: the hotel’s signature restaurant offering a la carte and buffet-style international and local specialties, located on the lobby level.
Terrace Fontana: a destination for the local community, the relaxed space offers original local specialties along with homemade ice creams and cakes, all with sweeping views of the fountain.
The Bar and Cigar Club: offering a rich choice of international cigars within the hotel’s lobby level bar, along with comfortable furniture and a wide beverage list.
Guests staying in the executive rooms and suites can also enjoy complimentary breakfast in the morning and snacks and drinks throughout the day in the Executive Lounge, situated on the sixth floor of the hotel with a terrace overlooking the park.
Montenegro is the one of the world’s top destinations1 and Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora offers convenient access to some of its top attractions, thanks to its historic location at the site of Podgorica’s first hotel, built in 1953. Guests can explore Biogradska Gora National Park, Boka Kotorska Bay (Bay of Kotor), Sipcanik Wine Cellar and the city’s many events and festivals while staying at the property. The hotel also provides a variety of transportation links across the city, making it easily accessible.
“Montenegro only continues to grow in popularity among travellers to the Mediterranean, attracting visitors with its breathtaking beauty and rich cultural history, and I am delighted to be opening the first Hilton hotel in the heart of the capital,” said Haluk Bilgili, general manager, Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora. “With great views of the city and an incredible team, Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora is poised to meet and exceed the expectations of our guests by providing exceptional experiences true to the Hilton name.”
To cater to meetings and events, including weddings, the hotel also offers one of Podgorica’s largest meeting spaces, with five meeting and conference rooms, all with natural daylight, along with the pillar-free, 425-square-meter Crystal Ballroom, which can accommodate up to 435 guests in theatre style.
Located on the Ground, Mezzanine and first floors, Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora also offers one of the largest spas in the city featuring a Finnish sauna, Bio sauna and steam bath. Designed in accordance with the latest fitness trends, Doclea Spa includes an indoor pool, experience showers offering visual, sound, temperature and aromatic effects and VIP massage rooms spread over 1,300 square meters.
Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora participates in Hilton HHonors®, the award-winning guest-loyalty program for Hilton, and is offering 1,000 Hilton HHonors points per night as part of their opening promotion. The program is open to all guests and free to join. Hilton HHonors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else, free standard Wi-Fi, digital check-in and Hilton HHonors Points.
Hilton Podgorica Crna Gora is located at Bulevar Svetog Petra Cetinjskog 2, Podgorica, 81000, Montenegro.
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.
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