Americana Hotel

Once you get past the entrance, the rooms are clean and comfortable, the AC works perfectly, and room service is top-notch. But the street boys hanging around the entrance can worry visitors who are new to the area, and finding reception was difficult. For a short business trip, you may like it if you don’t mind those boys around the hotel premises.

The privacy problems started at my door. I saw staff, including "Mr. Papa," listening outside, and felt watched and gossiped about throughout my stay. The male receptionist shouted at me to come out of my room, and another male worker threatened to beat me during an argument. The other staff were often gossiping and eavesdropping instead of working, and made me feel unwelcome. The place itself was in terrible shape: rats and cockroaches were crawling over my things and around the floor, the air smelled neglected, and the sheets and blankets were torn, frayed and looked extremely old. There were also sensual, inappropriate pictures on the walls that I found offensive and especially uncomfortable for female guests. Americana Hotel felt dirty, hostile and unsafe to me. I wouldn't recommend staying here.

It was a fun, relaxed stay. The place is easy to find, and there's a market nearby with business going on around the clock.

The guys at the bar were nice, and the hotel looks neat and stylish inside and out. It’s new, so that’s what you’d expect. My room had DSTV with channels I could choose from and a 42-inch TV. The rooms are named after current and former US presidents, which made me smile. The bathrooms are nice, but hot water only comes when there’s power. There’s no fridge, and the AC also needs power, though the fan worked fine. The entrance is narrow and confusing, and I nearly turned back. Once inside, though, I was glad I continued. I had to carry all my luggage to my room myself, whether light or heavy, and take it out to the car or taxi at checkout. A concierge to help from that entrance would be useful. The menu items should actually be available too. Staff were rude and unprofessional, apart from the fair lady at reception. The door knocking was especially annoying, six heavy knocks a second, like they wanted to break the door down. On checkout day, they showed the bad attitude they'd been hiding, especially the dark guy from room service and laundry. He frightened me and made me uncomfortable, and seemed not to care about customers. The rude staff make it hard for me to come back, though I hope they improve because I’d like to stay here again when I’m in the country. I only know my own room, so I can't speak for the others.