Jaded Hotel Report – Accra, Ghana
October 8, 2014
Airport – no change – same old same old for the past ten years. BUT! See departure….exciting news!
Golden Tulip Hotel – what is it about service in Ghanaian hotels? When you check in it’s as if the staff is doing this for the first time. They consult with one another, with the manager, they stare at the computer as though they don’t understand what it’s saying to them. They take your passport and disappear into the back room for minutes – are they having coffee back there? Are they writing down all of your details so they can impersonate you on line? Why do they need your passport anyway? So – that was check in once again, just like it always is. Took us half an hour to check in. I am fairly certain it will take the same amount of time to check out.
The updated lobby is very nice and open, with a new business center on the right with a coffee/pastry shop next to it, a few chairs for meetings. I had a cappuccino that was ok, and some black forest cake that was pretty tasty and fresh and a huge slice for the money.
There are ATMs in the lobby also. Front desk is the same, and usually only one or two people out there – it backs up quickly. The disco ball over the stairs leading to the restaurant, bar and pool is interesting touch…. I am glad they took the time and money to renovate, because the place is in an excellent location and I think they didn’t think they had to do it until recently with new hotels being built.
The restaurant is pretty much the same, but they have added an island bar in the center of the room, with chairs and general service. The breakfast is here as well. Breakfast is pretty extensive, with lots of choices. There is no packaged yoghurt, it is in huge bowls, which I will not eat. I had scrambled eggs from the buffet along with some cheese and bacon, slices of pineapple that looked very fresh. Well, I don’t know what it was, (actually I think it was the bacon since I burped it up all day) but I became quite nauseous, followed by intestinal distress. Had to down a bunch of pepto bismols and stay in bed for 3 hours in order to fight it off, but eventually I did. The first night I had a jalapeno cheeseburger and fries which took about 45 minutes to arrive. The so0called medium rare burger was well well done and tough as nails, and the fries were not fresh – they were stale and tough as well as barely warm. The beer was decent though.
So needless to say I am not impressed with the restaurant at all. The pool area is the same, with nightly live music and people sitting around outside the edges of the pool while you swim. I would feel very weird swimming there because anyone eating, drinking or meeting in that area will be able to watch you to entertain themselves. I took the advice of Trip Advisor to request a room opposite the pool, which was accommodated, and a great idea.
They have also added a number of shops to the lobby floor – gifts, clothes, art, a salon – all are pretty nice, really. I just do not have the money to be shopping this trip, unfortunately.
So, on to the room. The general impression when you enter is that it is cold, damp and mildew smelling. That seems to be endemic to Accra rooms – just because of the humid climate I imagine. The AC does work great though. Almost too great, because my colleague could not get the temp adjusted in his room. It was about 55 degrees he said, and he had to run the hair dryer and the shower on hot in order to warm it up. He complained to management and it was never fixed. I think he should have requested another room, but he didn’t – don’t know why.
I have not tried room service but my colleague did and he said it was good and arrived faster than the restaurant.
There is a free shuttle to the airport, which is nice to have.
The rooms seem to be somewhat refurbished with new shower and bathroom door but nd the furniture and walls are rather beat up. TVs seem to be updated. Not huge TV, but serviceable. Not huge range of channels, but the usual news and a few movie channels are okay. The desk lamp did not work. Décor is basic and functional. Things like carpet are stained and seem old.
Ambiance - C
Lighting – on the dim side. C
Closet – sufficient space and hangers – B
Safe – big enough for my tablet but not a full sized laptop. B
Mini-Bar – refrigerator was not supplied – I guess ou have to request it. D
Iron/Board – you have to request it, and iron is not a steam iron. However, it arrived quickly after my call.\ B
WiFi – free with the room, and for the most part it worked fine in this room. 276. A
Desk – nice large desk, good chair, and plenty of other furniture. Lights by the bed were fine. A
Bed – pillows pretty firm and comfortable – they were two twins side by side. Mattress a little soft, but fine for me. Others said the same. Comforter/duvet was warm enough and sheets were crisp and soft at the same time. B
Tea service – nice pot, with small selection of tea and coffee. Nice cups and real spoons. B-B
Trash cans – sufficient but small
No robes or slippers or turndown service provided.
Towels – OK, but minimum supply and modest size. B-
Shower – large, good pressure and nice hot water. A
Hooks for hanging towels or clothes – none – D
Toiletry amenities – nice selection and decent quality. No separate conditioner. A
Hairdryer – good quality and powerful – A
Make up mirror – none, but the light in the bathroom is very good for makeup – A
Water provided – they say the water is potable, but one bottle is provided each day. B
I was not able to get the MCI number to work from the phone.
Noise level – on the back side of the building (near tennis courts) the external noise level is not a problem. In the hallway though, when they are cleaning rooms it can be quite loud. Also I did notice noise from the upstairs room at one point. B
Room cleaning etc. – fine – nothing especially attentive about it, even though I left a tip. C
Departure news!! A brand new (to me) business class lounge upstairs in the departure gate area. Open, clean, not much in the way of snacks, but a decent range of beverages on offer. Not self-service, but that’s not a problem.