I stayed at this hotel for a week (12-18 Sep 2011). It was a pleasant surprise that a hotel that good could go for that rate in that part of Lagos. Now, don't get me wrong: the rate was high compared to similar hotels in the US. But by Lagos standards, it was relatively affordable. The staff were generally helpful and eager to help. Everything worked---the internet access, the swimming pool, the gym, the elevator, warm water, the TV, the safe and the phone system. I had previously stayed at a different hotel a month earlier (De Renaisance, also at Ikeja, Lagos) where most of those conveniences did not work, though they were aggressively advertised.
A few negative experiences that I had must also be mentioned. The front desk could not find my reservation, though I provided them with my confirmation number. I had to forward a copy of my confirmation email to the hospital's email addresses before I was confirmed. Incidentally, one of the email addresses was dead; the mail bounced back. Who knew--maybe that was the email the hotel gave to hotels.com where I booked my stay.
While there, I stayed in Room 306 for several days. At different times in the day and in the early morning hours, there were foul odors that were mysteriously sensed in the room. The odors were so strong you had to leave the room for a while, with windows opened. It was like the stench of poop. I reported this, and the room maids promptly came, but couldn't do much. Moreover, it was time for me to move out anyhow, so I don't know if they ended up taking care of the problem. It was a really awful smell.
A very negative experience that I had was with the kitchen supervisor. On my way back from my outing the day before my departure, I had stayed out a bit late. Knowing that the restaurants would be closed around Ikeja area, I decided to buy my dinner at another restaurant at one Cement bus stop (this was served in a styrofoam container). But when I reached the hotel, I could not eat, so I kept it in the refrigerator in my room until the following day. At checkout time, I wanted to warm the food so I could eat it for lunch. And that was where the drama started. There was no microwave in the rooms, and the kitchen staff adamantly refused to allow me to warm it, because I did not buy the food in the hotel. I was dumbfounded. Here was a guest who had stayed at the hotel for a full week, and he needed to warm his meal--only once--throughout his stay, and the hotel staff refused? The reasons they gave were totally crass and absolutely insane. They said it was their policy not to warm foods for guests, or allow guests to warm any food not bought in the hotel. I tried to convince them that I had paid good money for the food, and I didn't want it to waste. The kitchen supervisor wouldn't budge. She asked me to go tell them at the front desk, to see if they would allow me to. I went to the front desk. Although the guy there was helpful, trying to convince the kitchen supervisor; she wouldn't budge still.
I was told their next boss was one Jeff Fischer, but he was not available to speak with me (it was on a Sunday). In any case, after about 30 minutes of back and forth arguments, I decided to leave without warming the food. I ended up driving more than 20 miles to a friend's house to go warm the food.
It was a very disappointing experience. I am sure the building wouldn't burn down if I had been allowed to warm my food for a mere 60 seconds, using the readily available microwave in the dining room. Yet, we wasted 30 minutes arguing over non-issues.
Although I would still say my stay was overall a good experience, this hotel and many in Nigeria have some way to go in the provision of customer service. The goal of any hotel should be to help their guests have a positive experience, not to enforce some insane and stupid rules that make no sense.
So, if you're going to stay at this hotel, avoid Room 306; never ask for microwave service (even, if due to health reasons, you cannot eat the food served at the hotel); and bring a copy of your reservation confirmation with you. You are very likely to have a very good stay!