Why Yanna? It’s Actually a Story About Home

It Starts With a Simple Question

There is a story behind the name Yanna, although it isn’t quite the story most people expect.

People often ask me what Yanna means. It is a question I have been asked so many times that I probably ought to have a standard answer by now. The answer is actually quite simple: Yanna is a Nupe word meaning “my mother.”

That usually produces a moment of surprise. “Your mother?” Yes, my mother. I appreciate that it is not the most obvious name for a serviced apartment in Abuja, but the more I think about it, the more I realise that there is actually something rather fitting about it.

“My Mother”

The word “mother” carries a lot more meaning than simply a biological relationship. Traditionally, a mother is someone who welcomes you home, makes sure you are fed, notices when something is wrong and wants you to be comfortable. She is often the person who knows you are hungry before you do, remembers what you like and can tell that your “I’m fine” actually means anything but fine.

And perhaps that is why it works so well in hospitality.

What Has That Got to Do With Hospitality?

Think about arriving somewhere after a long journey. You have spent hours travelling, dealing with traffic, answering messages and generally trying to get through the day. What you really want when you finally arrive is not a complicated experience. You want someone to welcome you, somewhere comfortable to put your bags, something good to eat and the feeling that you can finally relax.

That is what makes somewhere feel like home.

At Yanna Apartments, our guests come to Abuja for all sorts of reasons. Some are here for a night or two, while others stay for weeks or months. For those longer stays, an apartment becomes much more than somewhere to sleep. It becomes their base in the city; somewhere to return to after work, somewhere to relax, have a meal, catch up on emails or simply shut the door and forget about the day for a while.

That is where the little things matter.

A familiar face at reception. Someone remembering your name. A member of the team noticing that something isn’t quite right. Having somewhere to eat without having to get back into Abuja traffic. Knowing that if something goes wrong, there is somebody around to help.

None of these things are particularly complicated, but together they are what turn accommodation into hospitality

The Nigerian Mother Knows Best

Of course, we cannot quite promise to be like your mother. We probably won’t ask why you haven’t called lately, insist that you take a jacket because it might get cold later, or enquire about when you intend to get married. Although, having spent a good part of my working life in hospitality, I have often thought that Nigerian mothers could probably teach the industry a thing or two.

Feeding people, anticipating their needs and making absolutely certain nobody leaves the house hungry are skills that seem to come naturally. In Nigeria, “Have you eaten?” is often less of a question than an expression of concern. You can say no, you can say yes, you can even say you are not hungry, but somebody will probably still find something for you to eat.

That is care, Nigerian style.

Then There’s the Hausa Connection

While looking into the different meanings and uses of Yanna, I discovered the Hausa expression “Ya nna?”, which can be used conversationally to ask “How is it going?” or how someone is doing. It is not the same word or meaning as the Nupe Yanna, but the similarity is an interesting coincidence, particularly here in Abuja where Hausa is so widely spoken.

So we have a Nupe word meaning “my mother” and a Hausa expression asking “How is it going?”

Different languages, different meanings, but somehow they both fit.

One brings to mind home, care and being looked after. The other is about checking in, making contact and taking an interest in someone. Both are things we associate with making people feel welcome.

A Very Nigerian Name

I also like the fact that Yanna is a Nigerian name. Nigeria has an extraordinary linguistic and cultural diversity, yet we often look elsewhere when naming our businesses. There is nothing wrong with an international name, of course, but there is something rather satisfying about using a name that has a story rooted in the country where the business actually exists.

Yanna connects us to the Nupe language and culture, while its similarity to the Hausa expression gives the name another little layer that many people in this part of the country may recognize.

It has a Nigerian story behind it, and the more I think about it, the more I like what it says about hospitality.

Perhaps That’s the Point

Because ultimately, hospitality is about how you feel when you are away from home. It is about arriving somewhere unfamiliar and, even if only for a short while, feeling that you have somewhere you belong. It is about comfort, care, attention and those small acts that make a long day a little easier.

Perhaps that is why “my mother” turns out to be such an appropriate meaning for a hospitality business.

So, when someone asks me what Yanna means, I can give them the simple answer: it means “my mother” in Nupe.

But perhaps there is a better answer.

Yanna is about the feeling of coming home.

Welcome to Yanna. Welcome Home!