I spent my first night in Accra at the Marriott hotel, just a few minutes from Accra’s Kotoka International Airport. It is a modern, comfortable hotel and the service was outstanding.
Accra Marriott Hotel Review
This hotel is Marriott’s first in Accra and opened in 2018. It features 208-guest rooms. It wasn’t cheap at $230/night, but that seems to be the going rate for a nice hotel in West Africa.
Arrival Greeting + Shuttle
I stepped outside the baggage claim hall at ACC, expecting to be swarmed by taxi touts, but was left alone. I had not pre-arranged a pick-up, but saw the hotel in the distance and saw a shuttle van with the Marriott name on it parked nearby. There was a group of Dutch passengers on my flight from Johannesburg who also were staying at the Marriott and we all piled into the Mercedes van.
The journey literally took three minutes and was complimentary.
Check-In
I only have Gold status in the Marriott Bonvoy program, but was still able to bypass the line and use the elite check-in counter on the far left of the lobby. I was welcomed and assigned a room on the second floor. The lady checking me in was very kind and friendly and thanked me profusely for choosing the Marriott. However, she could not find my reservation. I overhead the Dutch guys next to me also experience trouble with their reservations. It seems the front desk staff could not find any of us!
However, after pulling out my reservation email confirmation and providing them the number, they found it. Very odd.
While competing the check-in formalities, a man appeared with a choice of tea or water.
Room
The room was clean, smelled new (like an Ikea), and featured a comfortable bed. A refrigerator was not stocked, though a water kettle with instant coffee and tea was available. The bathroom and and bedroom were divided by a translucent glass wall. Free wi-fi was functional but throttled at about 2o up, 20 down.
It was a big night…the night of President Trump’s Oval Office speech on COVID-19. It was really only then that it dawned on me how serious the pandemic would be, though I had no idea how much my life would change over the next eight months.
Fitness Center
I was fairly jet lagged and rather than going to bed, completed an intense workout in the gym. The equipment is brand new and I had the gym to myself the entire time. Underscoring how new the hotel was, one of the elevators was not yet complete and I encountered a group of 20 men working on it on my way to the gym…
The gym had a bathroom with shower in it:
Breakfast
Breakfast is included for guests and, at least in March, included a buffet with a lot of nice features like fresh coconuts, a juice bar, omelets, crepes, pancakes, and waffles cooked to order, and a wide selection of hot and cold food.
BUT…as a coffee snob, I have to confess the coffee was a huge disappointment. Not only was there no cappuccino or espresso available, the coffee on offer was weak and lukewarm.
Still, it was a nice breakfast.
Pool
The hotel has a beautiful pool and terrace, though I did not have time to use it.
Bar
If I had more time, I also would have tried a coffee at the hotel bar. It appears they had a better machine.
CONCLUSION
Overall, this was a very nice stay. I will say I greatly preferred the Kempinksi (review coming), but the Accra Marriott Hotel is a very nice airport property.
This story is part of my An African Adventure As The World Shut Down trip report.
Very nice review!
Just to clarify, this is not the first Marriott property in Ghana – but the first in Accra. The Protea by Marriott in Takoradi was opened in 2015, although is no longer (2020) under a Marriott brand.
The Accra Marriott was actually right next door to my old office (like shared a boundary wall next door!), and the bar was one of our more popular places to have meetings and drinks in the evenings. I actually had a meeting there the night before you arrived. Small world. 🙂
My biggest regret of the trip was not calling you. We could have gone to Cape Coast together or at least hung out in Accra.
Haha, that was actually a horrendously busy week as we were rolling out our Level 2 COVID containment plan so I was traveling a fair bit, but yeah it would have been great to catch up briefly. I had a patented 2 hour city tour that I used to give visiting friends! 🙂
Nonetheless, I’m sure you will have future trips somewhere in Africa where our paths will cross.
Curiosity question: I assume you don’t drink the tap water here or many other parts of the world, right? Do you get unlimited bottled water in a hotel like this one? Use from the minibar? I know you were only here for a night, but usually I’m lugging a couple big bottles of water from a local mini-mart up to my room (at generally less upscale hotels..), and more if it’s a multi-night stay.
Good question. I do not drink tap water and there were only two bottles in the room. Rather than request more, I just took four bottles (complimentary) from the fitness center.
I love the Kempinski in Nairobi more so than the Marriott brand offerings there, but have stayed at the Marriott ones sometimes for points for work trips. But the Kempenski is like another world in terms of service and elegance. I miss travel so much. Thanks for the review!
Looks nice, maybe a little bit too high in price/ per night. Also that bathroom floor in your room looks like it could have used a better scrubbing. Sorry, I’m kind of a nit-picker when it comes to things like that.
The room looks like an economy inn. $230 seems like a rip-off!
I had a wonderful stay at this hotel—the staff were friendly, attentive, and made me feel truly welcome. The room was spotless, comfortable, and offered a great view. I’d definitely return and recommend it to anyone looking for a relaxing and enjoyable stay.