Visiting Nigeria for Detty December? Book Your Short-Let Before You Book Your Outfit
Last Detty December, a one-bedroom in Lekki Phase 1 was spotted at ₦700,000 a night. If you are flying in this year and planning to find a place when you land, read this first.
Picture it. Your flight lands at Murtala Muhammed on 20 December. You have your outfits planned, the concert tickets, the group chat buzzing. The only thing you have not sorted is where you are sleeping, because how hard can it be? Lagos is big. There are short-lets everywhere.
Then you open the apps. The nice two-bedroom in Lekki you saw in October? Gone. The one left costs triple what it did in September, wants 14 nights minimum, wants every kobo upfront, and the host is “not negotiating, it is December.”
Welcome to the late-booker tax. Nobody announces it, but every December, thousands of people pay it.
What December does to the price
For the same apartment, Detty December prices can usually run about 3 times the normal rate. For the rooms left over in late December, people have shared prices about five times what the same kind of place costs in a quiet month.
Here is what operators quoted Nairametrics for last December:
| Apartment | Normal night (₦) | December night (₦) | Jump |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-bedroom, Ikoyi | 150,000 | 250,000 | +67% |
| One-bedroom, Victoria Island | 180,000 | 250,000 | +47% |
| Four-bedroom duplex, Ikeja | 200,000 | 250,000 | +25% |
| General range, Ikoyi, VI, Ikeja GRA, Lekki | 120,000 to 200,000 | 180,000 to 300,000 | up to +50% |
Those are the polite numbers, quoted in September to people who asked early. The serviced apartments the Guardian tracked did worse: roughly double to triple, from about ₦150,000 a night in a normal month.
And trust me, the prices you see above would be child’s play this year if you plan to just touch down to start looking for a place to stay in December.
Last year by mid-December, people on X were posting ₦585,000 a night for a three-bedroom in Lekki on a 21-day booking, and up to ₦700,000 a night for an ordinary one-bedroom in Lekki Phase 1 (BusinessDay).
So is it really ten times? Honestly, not for the average flat. But that is the wrong question. The real problem is that the cheap ones are gone by the time you land, and what is left was never cheap to begin with.
Why Lagos runs out of beds
What drives this is plain supply and demand, and in Detty December the demand side goes wild.
- Everybody comes home at once. Lagos had about 1.2 million visitors in late 2024, and nearly 90% of them were Nigerians coming back from abroad for Detty December (Guardian). They all want the same thing: somewhere nice, close to the action.
- Everyone wants the same few streets. VI, Ikoyi, Lekki Phase 1 and Eko Atlantic are where the parties, beach clubs and concerts are, and they are also where the fewest new apartments get built.
- Short-lets fill up. Lagos short-let occupancy hits about 90 to 95% during Detty December, the highest of the year. When 19 out of 20 units are taken, the last one names its price.
- Hosts are paying more too. Diesel for the generator, staff, cleaning between guests. Some of the increase is real cost. Some of it is just December.
The money is big. Short-term rentals made about ₦21 billion in Lagos in December 2024 alone. For many hosts, December earns what a whole quarter does. So no, they are not in a hurry to give you a discount.
The “I will book when I land” mistake
Booking on arrival means you take the last of what is left, at the highest price of the year, under the strictest rules.
Three December rules catch late bookers out:
- The 14-night minimum. Many hosts will not take Detty December bookings shorter than 14 nights. You wanted five nights? You are paying for fourteen.
- Everything upfront. Full payment before you get the keys is normal, so you cannot pay as you go.
- The worst dates cost the most. 22 December to 3 January is when prices peak, with operators adding up to 50% on top of Detty December rates they have already raised.
Now do the maths. Here is an example built from last year’s prices, for a 14-night stay:
| When you booked | What you got | Per night (₦) | 14 nights (₦) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early, at the December rate | One-bedroom, Ikoyi | 250,000 | 3,500,000 |
| On arrival, leftovers | One-bedroom, Lekki Phase 1 | 700,000 | 9,800,000 |
That is ₦6.3 million extra for a smaller choice. That money would have paid for business class, or a lot of jollof.
And the cheaper fallback, staying with an aunty in Ikorodu? Lovely, until you sit in three hours of traffic each way going out and coming in.
Also Read: What ₦210m Buys in Lagos: Real Homes, Estates and Investment Options as the Year Ends
How to book like a Lagos insider
Book now, check everything, and stay a little outside the hottest streets.
- Book in November, not December. Hosts quoted the lowest Detty December rates to people who asked since August, September and October. Every week you wait, the good units go and the prices climb.
- Negotiate before December, not during. One guest in VI got ₦250,000 down to ₦220,000 by asking early. Once it is December, hosts mostly stop bargaining.
- Look one area over. Ikeja GRA, Yaba and Surulere are a ride away from the action and usually cheaper than VI or Lekki Phase 1. Two people sharing one ride to an event beats one person paying double for a bed.
- Compare with a hotel. Last December, some visitors went back to hotels because short-let prices went too far. Hotels at least come with reception, security and power you do not pay extra for. But don’t get me wrong, many shortlets come with all of the able too these days.
- Ask about the extras. Diesel, power, cleaning and a caution fee can all be added on. Get the full price in writing.
- Do not get scammed. Detty December is peak season for fake listings. Video-call the host from inside the apartment, pay through a platform or a registered business account, and never pay a stranger’s personal account because the “deal ends in one hour.”
And if you are a host reading this: your December guests are booking right now. Make sure they can find you.
The bottom line
Detty December is worth coming home for. The events are real, the food is real, the joy is real. But so is the late-booker tax. Book your bed before you book your outfits, and spend that extra ₦6 million on the things you actually came for.