Labadi Beach Hotel Blends Pleasure with Nature

Along the west coast of Ghana's boundary to the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent the country's Trade Fair Centre situates a magnificent five-star hotel that has played host to various kinds of personalities, investors and politicians in the world over.

At the backyard of that hotel is a private white sandy beach with private access directly from the hotel's lobby, rooms or balcony. But even before the smooth sandy beach is the rare terraced outdoor pool which has a poolside bar where guests can sit, relax, share a drink and or chit-chat on the chaise lounges that have been provided for them.

That hotel is the Labadi Beach Hotel, one that has been in existence for decades. It is a member of the Legacy Hotels and Resorts which is owned and operated by the Legacy Group.

The hotel, which is surrounded by trees of various spices, overlooks one of Ghana's sandy beaches. It is just a step from the quite and serene ocean and has, over the years, leveraged on its vantage location to serve a variety of clients who yearn for a taste of nature blended with modernity.

The Labadi Beach Hotel is strategically located; about 7.3 kilometers from the Accra city center, where majority of the government agencies, public institutions regulatory bodies and headquarters of banks, insurance companies, oil and gas operators and other reputable establishments are situated. This makes it a perfect destination for people visiting the country to meet with people whose offices are stationed in the city center.

Close to it is also the Accra International Conference Center (AICC), where big conferences with international following take place, as well as the U.S. Embassy.

Also, on either side of the hotel, measuring about 6.5 kilometers apart, sit the Kotoka International Airport (KIA), Ghana's premier international airport, and the Accra Sports Stadium, where big football matches, especially those involving the senior national team of Ghana, the Black Stars, and their other national counterparts, are often played.

Distinct Rooms

Beyond the vantage physical location of the Labadi Beach Hotel comes its exquisite designs, those that continue to remind its diverse guest of the modern day Ghanaian and in general, how nature, Africa's heritage and tradition can perfectly be blended with modern day stuff to delight a foreigners senses!

As the General Manager of the hotel, Mr Adrian Landry, said in an interview with Marcopolis that management has been "very careful during our refurbishments to pay homage to Ghanaian tradition, culture and customs. In this way, our rooms are not traditional cookie-cutter type hotel rooms that one might find in other parts of the world."

At Labadi Beach Hotel, Mr Landry said the rooms are made to "reflect African traditions and customs, not only by way of displaying the artwork on the wall but also placing symbols which are the West African alphabet. This ancient alphabet has been woven into our fabrics, into our throws on the bottom of the bed and the pillowcases."

Each of the hotel's over 104 rooms also has unique individually-carved chief stools made of timber sourced from sustainable forests in the United States of America (USA). The chief stool is a symbol of power and authority in Africa and Ghana in particular.

All the hotel's furniture is from Italy but assembled in Ghana, said its General Manager.

"We have gone to great lengths to ensure that it shows Ghana at its best," he added. Additionally, all the rooms have private balconies where lodgers can take in pool and garden views. Complimentary wireless Internet access are also availed for guests to be connected 24/7. The hotel's satellite programming is readily available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms have separate bathtubs and the showers in them feature handheld showerheads and makeup/shaving mirrors.

The Food

The hotel currently has about three restaurants staffed with world renowned and experienced chefs who are complimented by other equally skillful employees.

All kinds of foods are available. There are continental as they are foreign. Cuisines of various origins are readily available for the hundreds of guests who file in from all nooks and crannies of the world.

There are also bars/lounges, either at the pool side, balcony or beach, with all kinds of beverages in stock.

Labadi Beach Hotel's Message to Investors

Increasing demand for the hotel's services caused it to embark on a rehabilitation and expansion initiative that is currently ongoing. According to its General Manager, the expansion saw the room number increasing by 60 "to cope with the increased demand."

Also, a 700-sweater conference center and a new spa for health and beauty treatments are currently under construction, according to Mr Landry. The size of the hotel's gym is also being expanded by over 150 per cent and new equipment brought in.

All these developments are in response to the increase growth in the hotel business. "Ghana is definitely growing (and) the demands placed on hotels certainly have grown over the years.

"But the conference center is the telling factor," he said, noting that all these developments speak volumes of the growth prospects in the country.

As a result, Mr Landry's advice to the international investor community is that "you certainly cannot leave Ghana off your prospectus. I think it is imperative that one looks at Ghana; I think Ghana has certain inherent geographical advantages and geopolitical advantages. The fact that it’s a growing economy cannot be discounted in any way. Proximity to markets is also important."

In a wider sense, he said "Africa is a huge continent for growth. Whether it be natural resources, agriculture or provision of services; Africa is going to be the continent that drives the world economy to even greater extent than before."