Situated close to the royal palace and to the main road in and out of Dasse Zoume, Hotel Jeco is a basic hotel that for the large part is designed to accommodate the needs and wants of business-based travel.
Overview
A standard six-storey hotel, Hotel Jeco consists of a shared area and over 100 rooms. The shared area includes a reception and lounge, a bar, restaurant, conference facilities, gym and spa, and a pool, which often doubles up as an outdoor cinema. The seating is comfortable if a tad rundown and the design includes a number of life-sized statues. Wi-fi is available but is somewhat patchy in rooms. A laundry service can be provided.
Food & service
Read any feedback on Hotel Jeco and it will more often than not focus on an erratic service and poor standard of food. The service is not everything the lux-traveller might hope for, but everyone we dealt with on the occasion of two separate stays was wonderfully normal. Admittedly, the food – a mix of Western and Beninese fare – is anything from below par to excellent. We found the river fish and rice to be especially good. Rather than squeeze into the restaurant, take your meals by the bar.
Rooms
The standard rooms at Hotel Jeco are a good size and include a double or twin bed, a writing desk, a clothes cupboard, a small seating area by the window, and en suite bathroom. Spartan and not blessed with a ton of hot water, the bathroom comes with a shower, sink, and toilet – it is unlikely to be the subject of much praise in any letter home.
Activities
A good base from which to explore the city, Hotel Jeco is close to the Oba Egba Kotan II of Dassa’s royal palace, the hills where the settlement’s inhabitants once took refuge from slave traders, and to Notre-Dame d’Agribo cave, where it is supposed the Virgin Mary made an appearance in 1954.