The Grand Hotel de L'Independance (or Hotel GHI), formerly the Hotel de France, is a hotel in downtown

Conakry Conakry (; ; sus, Kɔnakiri; N’ko: ߞߐߣߊߞߙߌ߫, Fula: ''Konaakiri'' 𞤑𞤮𞤲𞤢𞥄𞤳𞤭𞤪𞤭) is the capital and largest city of Guinea. A port city, it serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea. Its p ...

Guinea Guinea ( ),, fuf, 𞤘𞤭𞤲𞤫, italic=no, Gine, wo, Gine, nqo, ߖߌ߬ߣߍ߫, bm, Gine officially the Republic of Guinea (french: République de Guinée), is a coastal country in West Africa. It borders the Atlantic Ocean to the we ...

. The hotel was first opened in 1954 as the Hotel de France, with a modernistic design for the time. It was renamed the Grand Hotel de L'Independance when Guinea gained independence in 1958. The hotel was extensively renovated in 1996, operating under management by Novotel until 2013.

History

The hotel was built during the French colonial period in 19531954 as the first project of the

Atelier LWD Atelier LWD was an architecture studio led by Guy Lagneau, Jean Dimitrijevic and Michel Weill that was active from 1952 to 1985. It later took the name of "Atelier d'Etudes Architecturales" (ATEA) (Architectural Studies Workshop) with the additio ...

, with architects

Guy Lagneau Guy Lagneau (1915 – 16 December 1996) was a French architect, one of the founders of Atelier LWD, who was involved in many major projects in France and Africa. Early years Guy Lagneau was born in 1915. He was a pupil and admirer of the ar ...

Michel Weill Michel Weill (31 August 1914 – 21 July 2001) was a French architect who co-founded the Atelier LWD with Guy Lagneau and Jean Dimitrijevic, and was involved in many major projects in France and Africa. He worked with Lagneau and Dimitrijevic on ...

and

Jean Dimitrijevic Jean Dimitrijevic (1926–2010) was a French architect who worked with Guy Lagneau and Michel Weill in the Atelier LWD on many projects. Among these projects was the ''Musée-Maison de la culture du Havre'', an innovative museum built between 195 ...

. It was sited opposite the mayoral residence. The hotel was originally called the Hotel de France, renamed the Grand Hotel de L'Independance in 1958 when Guinea became independent of France. The hotel was given the Novotel name in 1996, after extensive renovations.

Structure

The original building was a long, seven-storied building, supported by pillars, with a restaurant located in a circular pavilion. The interior and furniture were designed by Charlotte Perriand and

Jean Prouvé Jean Prouvé (8 April 1901 – 23 March 1984) was a French metal worker, self-taught architect and designer. Le Corbusier designated Prouvé a constructeur, blending architecture and engineering. Prouvé's main achievement was transferring man ...

in 1953. The design of the rooms allowed for natural ventilation. Prouvé created the facade of the restaurant, which consists of screens that swing open to the sea, and Perriand used her experience in humid climates with the interior rooms.

Mathieu Matégot Mathieu Matégot (4 April 1910 – February 2001) was a Hungarian / French designer and material artist. He was one of the most renowned French designers of the 1950s. Early years Matégot was born on 4 April 1910 at Tápió-Sully, a villag ...

undertook the decoration. After renovation, the Hotel GHI is one of the largest hotels in the country, with 12 floors in the new west wing. It is situated near the Presidential Palace,

Sandervalia National Museum The Sandervalia National Museum (french: Musée national de Sandervalia) is the national museum of Guinea, situated in the capital, Conakry. Most of the rooms are empty, but it contains a limited display of traditional objects from different re ...

and Palais du Peuple. The hotel has 196 rooms, two restaurants, two bars and five conference rooms used for meetings and seminars. The ''Cote Jardin'' restaurant serves international cuisine and ''Cote Mer'' caters in

French cuisine French cuisine () is the cooking traditions and practices from France. It has been influenced over the centuries by the many surrounding cultures of Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Germany and Belgium, in addition to the food traditions of the re ...

. The hotel bars are ''Baffila'' and ''Sorro''.

External links

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite book, title=Jeune Afrique, url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R_XxAAAAMAAJ, accessdate=16 March 2011, date=1 January 1999, publisher=Les Editions J.A. Hotels in Guinea Buildings and structures in Conakry Hotels established in 1954 Hotel buildings completed in 1954 1954 establishments in Guinea

History

Structure

See also

External links

References