Week end in Cotonou

It's the new jewel of West Africa's hospitality industry and the latest place to be in Benin's economic capital. Managed by French group Accor, the Marina showcases the country's ambitions in tourism and culture.

The grand opening of the Sofitel Cotonou Marina on 12 December 2024, after a soft opening on 1 September, was an eagerly awaited event. Now, this 5-star luxury hotel with a French Touch, set on 29 hectares of seafront land, is already the place to be, not only in Cotonou but the whole of West Africa. Built on the dream location of the very old Sheraton Marina, it offers 198 rooms, all with balconies, including suites with private pools, a chic signature brasserie, L'Ami, run by Beninese Michelin-starred chef Georgiana Viou, a spa, conference centre, cinema, casino and nightclub. And soon, a kids club.

Visitors to the hotel can admire 150 works of contemporary local art on display in its corridors. The hotel manager, Juliette Peron, is banking on cultural tourism, at a time when Benin's ancient artworks are being repatriated, and also in response to its South American clientele's desire to return to their roots, saying: “Brazilians, in particular, are looking for their roots in the former Dahomey Kingdom.”

We are also going to try to create pan-African leisure tourism, in particular by targeting the Nigerian, Togolese and Ivorian markets.” And the wealthy clientele from Lagos, now just an hour from Cotonou, are already here on weekends, with children and nannies, around the two swimming pools. The hotel staff, made up of 375 Beninese employees who have undergone four months of intensive training, are already well versed in the codes of luxury and top-of-the-range hospitality, the two cardinal values of the French group, which here delivers the latest flagship establishment in its African fleet.