Experience Nigeria: Transcorp Metropolitan Calabar

On BN, we celebrate Nigeria and the beautiful continent that is our home, Africa. While we bring you all the excitement from the red carpet to the runways. We will encourage people to explore other aspects of the continent from restaurants to hotels and other tourist hotspots.
We will be collaborating with various brands for a series of segments where they highlight their brands. Here is what the Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel in Calabar sent in.

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You can say anything about Calabar and be forgiven, one thing you cannot however get away with is saying Calabar is lacking in business opportunities, fun and merriment. The Metropolitan Hotel which was recently acquired  by Transcorp and is now known as Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel is poised to add more to the already known features of people’s paradise.

Strategically located on Murtala Mohammed highway, the main road leading into Calabar from the airport, Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel has since been known as the toast of guests a result of a long romantic history with both the citizens and government in Calabar; but as the days of the Calabar Festival draws nearer it is now equally known as the first point of call and relaxation spot for upwardly mobile people in and out of Calabar.

The Hotel is centrally located and has convenient access to the airport, the stadium, Marina Resort, the Old Residency, the Watt and Marion markets, Duke Town Church, the Governor’s residence and civic offices. The location of the hotel affords it excellent visibility from all directions making it the choice hotel in Calabar for tourists.

One major attraction at the Calabar festival is food. Local and foreign chefs at the 146-room Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel have graduated from mere chefs to artists. The sight of a beautiful flower on your table is gratifying, but more gratifying than this is knowing they are carved out of various fruits and will be a part of your meal. The usual local and international cuisine is also ever available and affordable. Transcorp Metropolitan Hotel one of those granted referral by the state government to do business in the state boasts of the only conference facility in the city so it is used for most conferences and banquets.

Transcorp Corporate Relations Manager, Yinkha Okotore, gave reasons why Calabar and the hotel were the choice of the corporation in its drive to being the largest hospitality chain on the continent. She stated that ‘The Metropolitan Hotel which is a premiere destination hotel in Calabar, has a long romantic history with both the citizens and government in Calabar and remains the destination hotel for Cross River state government who guarantees referrals for everyone doing state business. It also boasts of the only conference facility in the city so it is used for most conferences and banquets’.

Cross River State is one of the fastest growing states in Nigeria today. Besides agriculture which accounts for approximately 40 percent of State GDP, its natural beauty has helped to make tourism a leading sector that continues to grow. Due to its increasing consumer and business demands, the government is working to provide adequate infrastructure which includes expansion of the airport, other investments include a monorail connecting the International airport, Calabar and Tinapa resort, Calabar Energy City, an energy sector cluster with residential, commercial and industrial areas,  Calabar Central Market, Power generation, Bio-Fuel power generation potential of 1,000+ megawatts, Solid Waste Management Scheme to recycle waste into useable manure.

Other compelling attractions are the tourism statue of the city, the marina and the Calabar carnival that has grown to be the most popular tourist event fashioned after the Rio carnival, Trinidad and Tobago carnival, Obudu Ranch and Tinapa.  In addition, Calabar boasts of an 18-hole golf course currently owned by the state government. Cross River State is in a region that has been relatively unspoilt by development, and indeed many people refer to it as ‘paradise’ in Nigeria. A significant new initiative by the State government is the proposal to develop a theme park adjacent to Tinapa. With Transcorp’s Hilton branded hotel in Calabar will truly make this the main vacation and conference destination for every Nigerian.

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