Hotel Gaweye

The food is still good, and if you need a low budget venue for a meeting with community level participants, this could be the place. But it’s a pale shadow of the hotel it was around 7 years ago, to put it kindly. The facilities badly need renovation, and the security is as good as absent.

Hotel Gaweye has clearly seen better days, but it’s full of character. Being there feels like going back to Africa in the late 1970s, with dodgy businessmen and army generals rubbing shoulders over cognac and cigars. The grand old place has a quaint nostalgia for the early post-colonial years of pan-African optimism. Definitely worth a visit.

The view over the Niger river is amazing, the staff are very friendly, and the food is good. The carpet could be cleaner, though, and there’s no safe in the room. The place is very outdated, so don’t expect a high standard of quality.

Security was good and the air conditioning worked well. The bar was okay, with beer that was only minimally skunked. They had draft beer, but I didn’t feel brave enough to try it. The lunch buffet was the best meal, though pricey at $20. I stayed here for a conference, with attendees also placed at the Grand and the Terminus. Of the three, this hotel was the least desirable in several ways. Wi-Fi was much slower than at the other hotels, and the “hot” water was lukewarm at best some days and cool on others. Several toilets had no seats, there’s no gym, and evening service at the outside restaurant was slow even for Africa. On future trips, I’ll stay at the Terminus.