The Hotel 2 Fevrier in Lomé, formerly operating under the Radisson Blu brand, is the most luxurious hotel in Togo and was greatly appreciated after a long day on the road.
Hotel 2 Fevrier Lomé Review
Named for February 2nd, the day Togo nationalized its phosphate mines in 1974 after an alleged French coup attempt against the sitting President, the hotel is the lone skyscraper in Lomé (and in fact, in all of Togo). Being the only skyscraper in the city, you can see it from just about anywhere so it was an easy cab ride from the Ghana-Togo border to the hotel.
Once a Sofitel and later a Radisson Blu, the hotel is now independently owned. It was remodeled in 2014 and quite modern and luxe. Being an independent hotel, it proved a perfect opportunity to use my Orbucks to pay for the room, which otherwise ran about $120. I stayed at the hotel in March 2020.
Friendly staff at the front desk welcomed me to Togo and spent a few minutes registering me even though the room rate (including taxes and fees) was prepaid. Although I was always greeted in French, I found about half the staff could speak English.
I loved the design of my room. Perhaps the velvet chair and black and white marble will go out of style in a decade, but it right up my alley. The bed was comfortable, free wifi functional, and I enjoyed not only a comfortable stay, but a productive stay. A flat screen TV with satellite stations from around the world was also available, though I’ve grown so used to not having a TV that I did not flip it on.
View from my room:
After the long drive from Accra to Lomé (plus the border incident), I was very hungry. But it was now very late and room service and the hotel’s main restaurant were finished for the evening.
Thankfully, the lobby bar was still open. With a very limited menu, I ordered a hamburger and French Fries for 5500CFA (about 10USD) and it was really bad…my only real complaint about the stay. The beef had far too much gristle…but it sated me and helped me to quickly fall asleep (so did the air conditioning in the room).
I woke up very early the next morning to take a walk through the city. Returning a couple hours later, it was still only 8:00am so I squeezed in a workout in the fitness center prior to breakfast. The gym includes Italian-made Techno Gym equipment and I had it to myself for nearly an hour.
Adjacent to the gym is a large outdoor swimming pool along with several cabanas and an outdoor bar.
The spa is also nearby and offers expensive treatments, but complimentary use of the steam room and sauna, which I enjoyed.
Breakfast is complimentary for all guests and, at least in March, included a beautiful buffet with a wide selection of items including omelets and crepes made to order, fresh-squeezed juices and smoothies, tasty baked goods, and all sorts of other regional and international breakfast staples.
A little manual espresso machine really hit the spot, though the illy coffee was 10X better than the “Compagnia Dell Arabica” mix…
Customer service was friendly…when available. Dishes did pile up a bit during breakfast.
Check out times are negotiable, but 12:00pm is standard. I did not need to request a late checkout because I had a flight to Benin to catch. The hotel does not offer an airport shuttle service to Lomé Tokoin Airport, but taxis are cheap (~10USD) and readily available.
CONCLUSION
The Hotel 2 Fevrier Lome is a great hotel if you are looking for the most luxurious accommodations in in Lomé. It also appeared to be a watering hole for expats and airline crews. It is comfortable, convenient, and centrally located. For travelers from the United States, expect four-star comfort. I look forward to returning.
How would you review the Hotel 2 Fevrier Lomé?
This story is part of my An African Adventure As The World Shut Down trip report.
Wouldn’t speaking English and French be expected from a colony divided by the League of Nations between L’France and Britain?
British Togoland was annexed to the Gold Coast, which became Ghana. Thus no, there is no reason why you’d expect Togolese people to speak English.
Looks very nice. Did you feel safe walking around the city?
Happy 2021 everyone, hopefully we will get to travel more!
Typo: Orbucks (near the beginning)
If it’s the only skyscraper, I would have some concern that it’s a target if there’s a military coup or terrorist attack.
I would definitely take home the hotel branded toiletries as a souvenir!
Very interesting article! It’s nice that the place seems to be maintained and not become a socialist dilapidated building particularly if it was nationalized (though uncertain if it was). Jamaica had that problem a few decades ago.
I recommend some photos of ordinary life in Togo, maybe street scenes because Google Maps street view does not cover Togo. It covers the border town of Aflao, Ghana which may suggests that Google is not permitted to record street views in Togo.