Hotel Kufuor opens on the quiet

The controversy that surrounded the purchase of "Hotel Kufuor" might have informed operators of the multi billion cedis facility, situated at HIPC Junction at the Airport residential area, to open the hotel for business without the usual pomp and splendour that go with such events.

The hotel, christened African Regency Hotel, which brought a political roar between the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), has finally opened for business without much publicity.

The Gye Nyame Concord newspaper confirms that though the hotel may not be popular in the country, it is already making high waves in the US and UK. This was gathered during some interactions this reporter had with a cross section of customers of the hotel, who were mainly from these two countries, over the weekend.

A brief visit to the hotel, which is located just about five minutes drive from the Kotoka International Airport, showed the edifice being furnished with the state of the art modem facilities.

Living up to its name, African Regency Hotel, the hotel is decorated with African arts with the rooms furnished with the best facilities found any where in the world.

Though the hotel is not yet rated, the facilities and services it provides currently could much the known five star hotels in the country, notably Labadi Beach Hotel or La Palm Beach Hotel.

Surprisingly, in spite of the high quality facilities and services the hotel provides its clients, the charges are very moderate with a room earmarked for a family of about three persons going for about $75 a night.

According to some visitors to the hotel who were interviewed during our verification visit, they prefer the hotel due to the location, security and its environmental friendliness.

Currently, the African Regency Hotel is the only hotel in he country which has fully installed solar energy as its main source of power.

The hotel is locally called "Hotel Kufuor" due to the alleged involvement of President Agyekum Kufuor in its purchase. It is widely speculated that the President is the real owner of the hotel and that he was only using his eldest son, Chief Kufuor to front for him.

However, a preliminary investigation by the independent anti-corruption agency, Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), exonerated the President.

One unique feature of the hotel is the foresight they had in powering the facility with solar energy even when the energy crisis had not started.

At a time when energy experts in the country are still grappling with finding an alternative source of power for the country, Chief Kufuor, in about three years ago, had anticipated the problem and funded a long term cheap source of energy for the hotel.

Many Ghanaians had thought that the hotel would be opened during the Africa Union Summit slated for Ghana this June, but a source close to management informed this paper that, they do not want to get involved in public debate about the timing of the outdooring, hence the early opening when the hotel is not hundred per cent completed.

Credit: Gye Nyame Concord