A night at the Golden Beach

By Emeka Anokwuru
Saturday, June 27, 2009
•Golden Beach hotel, Accra

If Nigerians are the happiest people on earth an award for the country with the friendliest people in West Africa, would certainly go to Ghana. To prove this, just spend a few hours in the breezy capital Accra, and you will swear the wind and waves off the Gulf of Guinea have infused the land and people alike with equatorial warmth.

Ghanaians might admit that Accra is not the most beautiful place, but it is theirs. For a country that has borne the brutality of colonization – from the stripping of its mineral wealth to the enslaving of its people – Ghana retains a remarkable sense of pride.

Its craftsmen have a long, rich cultural history to draw from, and their work is thick with that tradition – be it the colourful kente cloth of the Ashanti tribe or any of the stools, icons, beads or baskets you will find in the major markets throughout the country. Even the leftover forts and castles, recalling five centuries of European influence, today seem less like Ghana ‘s ghosts than players in her narrative.

However, to complement a good trip while in the country is the world class accommodation and relaxation service provided by the Golden Beach Group, an indigenous hotel chain in Ghana.
The group has three hotels: La Palm Royal Beach Hotel (located at Greater Accra Region), Elmina Beach Resort (located at Central Region) and Busua Beach Resort (in Western Region). Each hotel is the benchmark in hotel conferencing, leisure and service standards.
They have of course been in the business competitively and profitably despite the array of foreign hospitality brands in the country.

The group has established a reputation for managing the finest beach resorts in Ghana. For years, they have remained Ghana ’s leading hospitality group offering luxurious beachfront hotels with the largest conference and meeting facilities.
Besides welcoming guests to stunning settings of the Atlantic Ocean, all the hotels provide a variety of leisure activities including, 15 restaurants and bars, spa services, casino, night club and swimming pools complete with sandy beaches. Retreat to the comfort of private chalets which feature full kitchenettes, well-designed living and sleeping areas and stay connected with the hotels’ Wi-Fi and high speed internet access, and leaving guests to wake up to a complimentary continental buffet breakfast each morning.
The hotel group has established a reputation as being the finest resorts in Ghana with each of the hotels providing maximum comfort amidst state-of-the-art business and conference facilities.

Having generated over 12 percent of its total business in 2008 from the Nigerian market, third of its corporate business from same market while the Nigerian tour business contribute 5 percent of its total tour business, La Palms Beach Hotel has the a good cause to channel more marketing effort from its Accra base to Nigeria with the hope of increasing its total business in the country to about 15 percent this year.

At the October World Travel Awards 2007 in London, La Palm Royal Beach Hotel was the proud recipient of “ Ghana ’s Leading Hotel Award”. The World Travel Awards was established in 1993 to acknowledge, reward and celebrate achievements of the global travel industry. Last year at the 3rd Akwaaba Leisure Awards in Lagos, this enchanting hotel was voted the best conference destination in West Africa featuring a 1500 seating capacity convention centre. La Palm also accommodated His Royal Highness Prince Philip and his delegation, as well as the immediate past US president George W. Bush during their recent visits to Ghana.

Located in the heart of Accra, La Palm is the perfect location for a getaway boasting of 8 restaurants and bars, a pub, world-class casino and a newly-renovated spa and health club showcasing state-of-the-art equipment. With these and many more, one may decide never to step out of the hotel, not when the distance between Lagos and Accra is insignificant.