Eko Hotel and Suites is now one of the best known hospitality properties on Victoria Island, Lagos, but its roots sit firmly in the investment and building surge of the 1970s. That decade reshaped Lagos, with expanding corporate activity, rising international travel, and a stronger need for large scale accommodation and conference spaces. Victoria Island, in particular, gained momentum as a preferred location for business, diplomatic life, and modern commercial development.
In this climate, a globally branded hotel did more than add rooms to the city, it signaled that Lagos was positioning itself to host international business, formal gatherings, and major events at a higher standard than earlier decades could consistently provide.
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1977, The Opening as Eko Holiday Inn
Eko Hotel and Suites traces its formal opening to 1977, when it operated as Eko Holiday Inn on Plot 1415, Adetokunbo Ademola Street, Victoria Island, Lagos. This address, the opening year, and the original name are consistently recorded in widely circulated historical summaries and hospitality references, and they match the long standing public identity of the property as a major Victoria Island hotel site.
Some accounts also note an earlier, smaller beginning on the property before the main hotel opened, describing an initial lodge phase, followed by the larger opening in 1977. What remains consistent is that 1977 is the year the main hotel operation is recognized as established and publicly launched at scale.
From the start, the Holiday Inn association placed the hotel within an international service model. It established expectations around room standards, guest services, and business oriented amenities, which mattered in a Lagos that was becoming more active in regional commerce and international visits.
Ownership and Development, The Chagoury Group Connection
The hotel is operated and owned within the business orbit of the Chagoury Group, a major Nigerian conglomerate known for long term investments in construction, real estate, and hospitality. Corporate material from the group also describes the property as a multi building hospitality complex with several hotel sections on one site, reflecting how the hotel grew over time through phased expansion and reinvestment.
The Chagoury connection matters historically because it explains continuity. Large hotels often struggle when ownership and management change too frequently, but Eko’s story is strongly tied to long term corporate stewardship. That stability helped the hotel expand its facilities, upgrade its offerings, and remain competitive as Lagos grew into a larger, faster, more demanding city.
The Architect and the Firm Behind the Original Hotel
The original hotel is widely credited to Nigerian architect Oluwole Olumuyiwa, a prominent figure in post independence Nigerian architecture. Public biographical sources note that Olumuyiwa returned to Nigeria in 1958 after overseas training and later established Oluwole Olumuyiwa and Associates in 1960.
These same sources also record his leadership role in the country’s professional architecture framework, describing him as the first president of the Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, commonly referenced as ARCON, and highlights his role in early architectural publishing in West Africa through The West African Builder and Architect.
In discussing authorship, it is historically careful to understand that large projects are typically delivered through a firm and its collaborators, not by a single individual alone. Public histories of Eko often mention collaboration with American architects or partners as part of the hotel’s development era, which fits the common pattern for internationally aligned hotel projects of the 1970s.
What the Early Design Had to Achieve
Hotels built for international business travel in the 1970s were expected to be practical and durable. In Lagos, those expectations also included climate suitability, reliable operations, and the ability to expand as demand grew. Eko’s later history suggests that the original planning allowed for evolution rather than forcing a complete replacement, because the property expanded into a multi building complex while still retaining its identity as one coordinated destination.
It is tempting to describe this as deliberate symbolic architecture, but there is no need to overstate it. The more defensible historical point is that the hotel’s design and site planning proved adaptable enough to support decades of expansion and reinvention while staying in the same Victoria Island location.
From Eko Holiday Inn to Eko Hotel and Suites
Over time, the Holiday Inn name disappeared and the property became known as Eko Hotel and Suites, a shift that is widely recognized in public accounts of the hotel’s history. Some summaries also describe phases in which the hotel carried other international associations, including Le Méridien, before the fully established Eko Hotel and Suites identity became dominant.
What matters most for readers is the outcome, the hotel transitioned from a single branded hotel into a broader hospitality campus. That campus model helped it serve Lagos in multiple ways at once, accommodation, conferences, large weddings, business events, entertainment shows, and corporate hospitality.
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The Modern Complex, Rooms, Towers, and Scale
Today, Eko Hotel and Suites is frequently described as Nigeria’s largest hotel by room inventory, with commonly cited figures around 824 to 825 rooms, depending on how suites and sections are counted across the property’s different hotel blocks. This small numerical variation is normal for large properties with multiple buildings, because renovation cycles and category changes can affect official counts.
What is consistent is the scale, the hotel is not a single tower experience, it is a multi venue ecosystem that includes accommodation, conference halls, event spaces, restaurants, and leisure facilities, all clustered within a single Victoria Island address. That scale is one reason the hotel has remained central to Lagos’s event economy, it can host multiple major gatherings in the same period while still functioning as a full service hotel.
Why Eko Became Part of Lagos Life
Eko Hotel and Suites became a landmark not only because it is large, but because it has been present through changing Lagos eras. The city’s business culture expanded, entertainment grew into a powerful industry, and event hosting became a major part of corporate and social life. In that environment, venues that could reliably deliver space, service, and security became part of the city’s rhythm.
Eko’s long run is also a lesson in location. Adetokunbo Ademola Street sits within the core of Victoria Island’s commercial corridor, placing the hotel close to offices, embassies, and key road links. When guests say, “Let’s meet at Eko,” it often functions as both a hotel and a geographic reference point.
Author’s Note
Eko Hotel and Suites shows what happens when a city’s ambition meets long term investment, the result is not just a building, but a place people return to for decades. From its 1977 identity as Eko Holiday Inn to the vast modern complex on Victoria Island, the hotel’s real story is continuity, adaptation, and the quiet power of staying relevant while Lagos keeps changing.
References
Nigeria History and Facts, archival notes on Eko Hotel
Architects Registration Council of Nigeria, historical records
Eko Hotel and Suites, official corporate history and publications
