Marriott’s Lagos Pair Take Four Titles Between Them at 2026 West Africa Sustainability Awards
Sheraton Lagos Hotel Ikeja was named Green Employer of the Year while General Manager Martin Bredenoord took the hospitality personality prize — a double win that complements Protea Hotel by Marriott Ikeja Select’s own awards and a joint recognition for sustainable leadership across the Marriott portfolio in Lagos.
Lagos, Nigeria — Sheraton Lagos Hotel Ikeja has been named Green Employer of the Year at the West Africa Sustainability Summit & Awards 2026 (WASSA) which was held alongside the ceremony on October 2, 2026 in Lagos. The event organised by The Sustainable Report Africa Media Limited saw the General Manager of the hotel, Martin Bredenoord, receive the Most Sustainable Hospitality Services Personality of the Year.
Another property in the Marriott portfolio, Protea Hotel by Marriott Ikeja Select was named Most Sustainable Accommodative and Broad Range of Guest Amenities Services of the Year, with its General Manager, Margaret Joseph Asian, receiving the same individual personality award as Bredenoord.
Together the four awards describe sustainability end to end: from payroll and wellbeing policy at one property, to amenities, energy and waste at the other — and the Marriott portfolio in Ikeja now holds three of the four institutional titles handed out at WASSA 2026.
What the Awards Recognise
The West Africa Sustainability Awards are the recognition arm of WASSA, described as the region’s premier annual platform dedicated to advancing the Environmental, Social and Governance agenda across West Africa and the broader continent. This year’s summit was themed “Accelerating Africa’s Green Transition: People, Planet & Prosperity,” placing social inclusion, environmental protection and broad-based prosperity at the centre of Africa’s transition.
The awards process is designed to maintain credibility and transparency, with nominations evaluated by an independent panel drawn from academia, civil society, the private sector and international development organisations.
The Social Pillar: Why Green Employer Matters
The Green Employer citation placed Sheraton Lagos firmly on the Social pillar of ESG. The hotel was recognised for its commitment to its workforce through fair wages, workplace safety, gender equity, staff development, mental health support and the building of an inclusive workplace culture.
For Bredenoord, whose more than twenty years of leadership experience spans several African countries, the individual award caps a year in which the property has leaned hard into measurable environmental investment. Under his watch the hotel commissioned a gas-powered generator that he says is projected to pay for itself within roughly eighteen months through lower fuel and maintenance costs, and installed electric vehicle charging in partnership with Qoray as part of a push to cut carbon emissions.
The double recognition also complements the hotel’s achievement of Green Key International certification, an internationally recognised standard for environmental responsibility and sustainable operations.
Why it Matters Beyond the Trophies
Sustainability credentials are no longer cosmetic in this market. Ikeja Hotel Plc, the NGX-listed owner of Sheraton Lagos, has publicly tied its improving fortunes on the capital market to strategic management, corporate governance and deliberate investment in sustainable energy and modern technology, with its CEO attributing much of that momentum to the flagship hotel’s rising operational efficiency. Green certification travels too: Protea properties elsewhere on the continent have pursued the same Green Key standard, now held by more than 9,000 establishments across over 90 countries.
Congratulations are due to Bredenoord, Asian and both teams, who have made the case that responsible hospitality in West Africa is moving from aspiration to audited practice.
