Tech firm begins move to become Nigeria’s AirBnB

IN a bid to connect guests to decent and budget-friendly short-term accommodation, SoftLet, an innovative digital platform, has launched its portal.

Created by a team of digital enthusiasts, the proptech platform is set to ensure people can access secure and comfortable temporary homes in choice areas of the country.
Presently, the platform boasts of listings across the city of Lagos and has been simplified to give tourists, guests and travelers easy access to various affordable and decent short-term accommodation.
Chief Executive Officer/co-founder of SoftLet, Chigozie Okwara, stated that the platform was set to become the ‘AirBnB’ of Nigeria.

“The original AirBnB is over a decade old and the initial idea was to offer short let accommodation for people who couldn’t afford hotel rooms. Now, AirBnB is a public company. The truth is that hospitality is big anywhere in world. Nigeria is not left out.

“These days, people want to have more control over their vacation experience and frankly, hotels have a lot of rules and regulations. So, people can now enjoy the comfort of ‘home’ with all the perks like cooking yourself, bringing your pet, having your children play in a homely environment and so on. It’s also financially beneficial for the property owners as they get paid rent. Where we come in is making the whole process easy by ensuring guests find accommodation of their choice easily,” he said.
SoftLet currently has over 100 different apartments listed in various locations; mainly Lekki, Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lagos Mainland. Apartment sizes range from one-bedroom apartments, two-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom apartments, family homes to penthouses and lofts.

Booking on SoftLet is very straightforward and easy with the full listing of accommodation, prices and accompanying Ts and Cs.
Popularly termed AirBnBs, short-term rental apartments are fast becoming alternatives to hotels especially for holiday makers, company expatriate workers and travelers.

Globally, the hospitality industry is one of the largest sectors and this is largely driven by tourism. Currently, Nigeria remains an important market in the West African region and Africa at large.