Travel/Tourism
Marriott International Opens Sheraton Bamako Hotel in Mali
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
Marriott International has announced the opening of Sheraton Bamako Hotel, marking its entry into Mali, in West Africa.
This milestone further solidifies Marriott International’s portfolio across West Africa, and promises to revolutionize the hospitality landscape in the country through Sheraton’s distinct product offering coupled with its commitment to go above and beyond for its guests.
“We are thrilled to build on Sheraton’s proud heritage in Africa that dates back to 1971,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. “Over the last four decades, the brand has maintained its first mover advantage through strategic pipeline development and growth, giving global travelers access to more destinations across the continent. Sheraton Bamako Hotel not only marks our entry into a new country, but also serves as a great example of our transformation efforts around the brand.”
Sheraton Bamako Hotel is the outcome of a collaboration with Koiraholding Group, promoter of the project whose Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr Cesse Kome said, “I am very proud to partner with Marriott International to bring the Sheraton brand into Mali and I am confident this hotel will set a new benchmark in hospitality within the country.”
Strategically located in close proximity to Bamako’s Modibo Keïta International Airport in one of the city’s most sought-after neighbourhoods, ACI 2000, the hotel provides easy access to the city center, major embassies, corporate offices, government buildings as well as numerous cultural and tourist attractions. With an enviable location affording panoramic views of the Niger river, the hotel seamlessly blends modern, elegant design, with distinct local touches to create a vibrant aesthetic and a compelling sense of place. Signature brand programing and an elevated guest experience create a warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes for an ideal gathering place for business and leisure travelers as well as the local community.
All 200 spacious and well-appointed guestrooms boast panoramic views of the Niger river and the lush green hillside dotted with mango plantations, offering unmatched comfort and the Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience. 27 Sheraton Club rooms and 32 suites offer exclusive access to the Sheraton® Club Lounge, a private space where guests can enjoy complimentary breakfast, drinks and snacks during the day. Leisure facilities include a state-of-the-art Sheraton® Fitness Centre with cutting edge equipment available 24 hours a day, a spa and an outdoor pool for guests to relax and recharge for the day.
Four distinctive dining venues offer a wide selection of global cuisine. The all-day dining restaurant, City Grill, blends European and International cuisine with flavours from West Africa while a classic Paris inspired brasserie, the Brasserie Bamaquoise, offers the best of French cuisine. Guests can also enjoy fresh juices, a drink or light bites at Légendes Du Sport Bar, a buzzing sports bar or while relaxing at the Oasis Pool Bar.
With more than 820 square meters of dedicated meeting space, Sheraton Bamako Hotel features 11 meeting rooms including a 478 square meter Grand Ballroom as well as a fully equipped business center, with state-of-the-art facilities and endless connectivity through high-speed Wi-Fi. With natural light in most meeting rooms, creative menu options and thoughtful service that goes above and beyond, the hotel provides both choice and flexibility, making it an exclusive option for large scale business meetings, social events, weddings or even smaller intimate gatherings.
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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