The emergence of Akure, the capital of Ondo State as a cosmopolitan city of the South-West due to the rapid development of infrastructure and urban renewal  initiative of the  Governor Segun Mimiko-led administration, has led to the sprouting of hotels and several hospitality centres which cater for the desires of the people.

The avalanche of developmental projects and  economic confidence pervading the state have turned Akure into a city which magnetizes and lures visitors, business-minded people and investors from all over the world into its bowel.

A large proportion of the deluge of visitors to the state consists of men and women of means who want a decent and comfortable place to hide their head and consummate relaxation after a hard business day.

And Akure has a lot of hotels and guest houses which claim to be dispensing hospitality to buyers and consumers.

However, a majority of hospitality buyers in Akure complain that some of these hotels are just architectural wonders with fascinating facilities but lacking the necessary attributes and virtues of what a hotel should be in terms of accommodation, service, standards and public relations.

Some of these hotels are being afflicted by sheer old age, as they have existed for many years without proper maintainace culture; coupled with old facilities, poor management and failure to blend with the contemporary developments in hospitality dispensing.

Thus, the average buyer cannot have full value of their money, thereby making it a case of “if you cannot get what you want, you make do with what you have.”

And this should naturally be the case for hospitality buyer or traveler, who left his home to visit a place, and has money to lease a home away from home or a better environment away from home.

However, this scenario was packaged and dumped into the dustbin of history of 2011 by someone who believed that hospitality buyers in Akure deserved the best.

Thus, the inauguration of Flourish Hotel in December 2011 offered a new lease and optimum option for hospitality buyers in Akure.
 Flourish Hotel is tucked inside the Alagbaka  GRA, in a serene environment behind WAEC office, along the road that cuts through  the First Bank junction to the Ondo State  Government Secretariat.         

Though a one-storey affair, the exterior simplicity conflicts sharply with the interior splendour of luxury and brand innovation of fixtures and facilities.

As you drive into the high wall enclosed compound, you will notice that the whole floor is not paved with the common interlocking blocks but with brown granite stone, coupled tightly, which accentuates the unique landscaping effort.

Stepping down from your car, the hotel staff are already with you, lifting the burden of your bags and luggage off you.

Entering the hotel, the sliding door which opens automatically without someone pushing or pulling it will also catch your fancy and attest to the fact that you are in another hotel of difference in Akure.

The reception speaks volumes. It is cozy, posh, tasteful and luxurious with charming ladies in well cut suites warmly attending to you. Fitted with two plasma Tv, Pop ceiling, glistering chandelier and a pack of chairs at a corner, the reception is quite in a class of its own.

Going into your room, your sapped energy is re- energized and soothed by the cool breeze from the fountain planted within the foyer of the room region, seeable by guests, and providing a worthy spectacle of interest as you go or come out of your room.

One unique feature about Flourish Hotel is the key to the rooms which is not the conventional opening system where you have to insert the key, remove and open the door. At Flourish, you just flash the card against the door knob and you  press then the door opens!

All the rooms in Flourish Hotel are exceptionally apportioned in terms of exterior décor; the  Greek tilee floor, the plasma TV, fridge, reading tables, chairs, intercom and the bathroom which is installed with Jacuzzi are of taste and luxury.

The two bars serve their purposes well, the one outside gives rooms to lodgers and fun-seekers to interact and watch football games in a lively ambience of comfort while ordering for suya and barbecue fish which Flourish is proud to host the best in Akure,  while the in- door bar is solely for lodgers. These two bars are stocked with drinks, wines and spirits of exotic and  local brands.

The restaurants service is 24 hours and your choice of local and international or continental cuisine is readily available and delivered as promptly as ever.

Flourish takes care of the guest’s daily needs, as the mini–mart is stocked with those forgettable but essential items; toothpaste, tooth brush into a comb, shaving stick and powder.

It harbours and operates laundry service, which is very efficient, fast, as all clothes are treated in a matter of urgency and express fashion.

Flourish is  one hotel in Akure which supplies it guests  with a  newspaper free.

Giving credibility to the service delivery of Flourish hotel, Mr Ayodeji Abiodun Olaniyi, chairman, Elliot Hotel Consult, who has managed two prominent hotels in Akure said “Flourish offers a new hope for hotel buyers in Akure. The hotel was inaugurated to take care of the inadequacies and service imperfections being experienced by hospitality buyers in Akure. It has taken hotel service to another level where customers would have no complaint. This is one hotel which gets it right in terms of accommodation, security, public relations  and customers satisfaction. I vouch that you cannot have it better elsewhere in Akure.

According to the manager, Mr. Ibrahim Ologun, “our focus here is to ensure that every customer is excellently satisfied and treated beyond his imagination. We have all that it takes to make your stay splendid in Akure. We are offering what others hotels in Akure are not offering in term of service delivery and expectation.  This is the only hotel where a customer is really treated as a king right from the gate into the bowel of your rooms throughout your stay. And we have no option than to do this, as we realised that it is the customers’ satisfaction that keeps us in business. It is not a matter of marketing strategy but a reality which you have the opportunity to experience. This is because, at Flourish Hotel, we make guests flourish with our unique services. You just need to visit us and have a taste. I am expecting to welcome you into the flourishing excellence of Flourish Hotel. You are welcome.”