Channel View Hotel

The rooms were spacious and lovely, with fresh, odor-free air, and the quiet surroundings helped me feel at home and relaxed. It had been a long time since I walked into a hotel and could breathe like that. I enjoyed my stay, and the smiling dark front desk officer made me feel welcome. The WiFi kept dropping and was too weak in the rooms. The complimentary breakfast also didn’t match the pamphlet: there were options listed, but when I called, I was told anything other than bread and eggs would cost extra. Thanks, Channel Views!

We enjoyed our stay and would come back, though we had a few frustrations over our 10 days at Channel view hotel. The rooms were a decent size, with sitting areas and nice bathrooms. It has recently been renovated, and the lobby and rooms looked new and smelled good. The hotel is expensive for Calabar at NGN 80K a night for its cheapest room, when comparable places nearby are NGN 40K. What made it worthwhile for me was being able to breathe without allergies. Some other hotels smell bad from the lobby through the rooms and even the elevator, and I notice mold straight away. We had two rooms during each five-day stay across a 12-day period. The day before checkout, I looked out the window of room 210 and was appalled by how bad it looked. I hope they clean it and fix the net. I have photos, but I won’t share only the bad ones when I forgot to photograph the good parts. The men at the front desk, Emmanuel, Jonathan, David, and one whose name I forgot, were very pleasant. The shift supervisor and female managers were warm too. The young Lady was the first person I met, and she needs to do better. Ten days later, my first impression of her hadn’t improved much. Staff need a service attitude. A potential customer shouldn’t be kept waiting while someone enters things into a computer in the middle of the day. I asked for a discount because of our long stay. They removed complimentary breakfast and took NGN 4K off the daily rate, which was disappointing. A polite no would have been better. Room service cost NGN 500 for eight days, then on Day 9 they called us to choose a complimentary breakfast meal and said the fee had gone up to NGN 1500. Typical naija behavior.

The conference center is spacious, has full blast AC, and good security. Guest rooms are roomy, with working ACs, TVs, and fridges, and the water runs well. Room service is quick, and the backup generator responds fast. Some staff can be pretty saucy and unaccommodating, so avoid them if you can and enjoy your stay.

I’d give this hotel a negative score if I could. Check-in came with very poor service, unfriendly and almost hostile. There wasn’t a towel in my room; when I complained, they just handed me one. The intercom didn’t work, the TV looked like it was from the 1960s, and the water heater had been removed. The weather was cold, but I still had to bathe with cold water. Avoid this hotel for your comfort.