Editorial Hôtel Germain – Ganvié Holiday Resort is established to meet a specific and non-satisfied demand, the one of tourists wishing to stay in Ganvié in a clean, decent and comfortable environment meeting the basic standards in terms of hotel accommodation and tourism.  Actually, many of the tourists that the promoter received as the correspondent of Belgian and French tour-operators and several others that we surveyed, put forward the inexistence of such a structure to justify the fact that they choose solely to visit the village for only one or two hours.  The effort of the central government in building the “ ViIla Témoin ” (Model Villa) or “ Maison de la Francophonie ” ( House of the Commonwealth of French Speaking Countries ) has not altered this appreciation of tourists. The other reason put forward by the tourists is their systematic ransoming and harassment by the conductors and guides of the Calavi jetty, and no effective solution has so far been found by the tourism board to stamp out this evil, even if we must point out that on paper that some timid attempts are made.

For the building of the hotel, we took into accounts the concerns of the tourists and the Belgian and French tour-operators, and associated the services of Belgian, Portuguese and Dutch architects and engineers. The result is the matching of traditional and modern art of building.

At Hotel Germain – Ganvié Holiday Resort, the local way of building has not been changed and one is convinced he is in a solid and secured building, in a charming, decent, clean environment meeting the basic standards of hotel accommodation and tourism. 

Harassment and randsoming of tourists.
Harassment and ransoming of our tourists remain one of our major headaches. The guides and conductors at the Calavi jetty insist on collecting 25% of our sales (not benefit, whereas they are not even the providers of our clients, the mere fact of enjoying a monopoly for the transportation of tourists from the jetty to Ganvié at a cost that is already too high for an average tourist is said to entitle them to the collection of 25% of the incomes of hoteliers) and moreover they wish to subject our clients to the same harassment and ransoming. We took all necessary steps, before we started operation, to avoid (i) paying 25% of our revenues to guides who are not the providers of our clients, and (ii) our clients being subjected to ransoming and harassment, an area in which Ganvié still has a dirty reputation. We entered into negotiation with all stakeholders so that the percentage of our income (sales) payable to the guides could be pegged from 25% to 10%. 

Our explanations convinced but ‘ Béninoiserie '  ( doing all one can to torpedo the success of what a fellow is doing, because one does not have the means to do the same thing ) which has reached its peak in Ganvié, prevailed subsequently and the given words were not honored. Those who could not achieve what we are doing set the whole thing up for the guides and conductors to refuse accepting our proposal of 10% and to demand 25% instead. After a thorough analysis we realized that accepting paying 25% of our sales whereas we have to make concessions ranging between 5 and 10% to the tours-operators and foreign guides accompanying the tourists, would make our prices very prohibitive for the average client. We refused consequently paying 25% of our sales to the guides and conductors of the Calavi jetty. By way of reprisal, the guides and conductors start disseminating false information to our detriment, preventing the tourists to explore or come to our hotel: “Hôtel Germain - Ganvié Holiday Resort is situated outside Ganvié, you have to pay double tariff”, “The visit of Ganvié ends at the floating market, you must pay an additional amount ( covering 25% of Hotel Germain's income ) before we take you to Hôtel Germain – Ganvié Holiday Resort,” “Today is the off-day of Hôtel Germain – Ganvié Holdiay Resort, everything is closed,” “Hôtel Germain – Ganvié Holiday Resort is too expensive, you can neither eat, nor sleep there,” “The promoter does not operate all year round, he operates some parts of the season and is already in Europe, the hotel is closed,”  “There is nothing special in Hôtel Germain - Ganvié Holiday Resort, we will take you somewhere else,” “We are not authorized to take tourists to Hôtel Germain – Ganvié Holiday Resort because it has not received its operating authorization,” “Hôtel-Germain Ganvié Holiday Resort is not completed.” We wish to underscore that the above information is false and is punishable under the texts of the National Department of Tourism, governing the organization of the visit of Ganvié, but is spread to the tourism in order to mislead them and prevent them to explore our wonders in Ganvié, most especially because we neither accept to pay to them the 25% nor allow them to subject our clients to ransoming and harassment.

We are opened around the clock. The clients that visit us say we are the best hotel establishment in Ganvié.  We do not have merely an operating authorization, we have an operating license and we are as today the sole hotel establishment in the local governments of Sô-Ava and Aguégués that holds an operating license, not authorization, what constitutes a testimony of the quality of our infrastructures and services. The client that comes to us has the chance to enjoy the quality corresponding to the prices that he pays without being subjected to paying indirectly the illegal 25% tax to the guides and conductors. Out of a concern to avoid that our clients being subjected to the ransoming and harassment of guides and conductors, we fought and are now granted the right to transport our clients in our big and comfortable motor boat. 

Our guides and conductors are professionals, they have received a sound training and can never subject our clients to ransoming and harassment.  Moreover, the clients that reserve directly with us have the chance to travel free of charge in our motor boat from the Abomey-Calavi jetty to Ganvié.  All you need do to enjoy this free and qualitative service is to ensure that you book in advance with us.

We hereby launch an appeal to all those who wish to explore our marvels, the depth of Ganvié and most especially the quality of our services, to kindly contact us for the reservation, by email, fax or telephone.

Partner Organizations

The partner establishments are the ones that have established cooperation relation with Hôtel Germain – Ganvié Holiday Resort and with whom we have negotiated preferential rates for the clients visiting our organizations.  Furthermore when you pass through them, it is guaranteed that you will not be subjected to any randsoming or harassment, and you will reach the desired destination.

• Auberge de Grand-Popo, group of hotels
• CBM Voyages, a travel agency based in Cotonou
• Campement de Chasse d’Allada, a holiday resort sited in Govier, within Allada local government
• Hôtel Elda, sited in Cotonou
• Résidence Océane, sited in Cotonou, not far from the Fidjrossè beach
• Hôtel Riviera , sited in Cotonou
• Sun Beach Hôtel, sited in Cotonou, not far from the Fidjrossè beach
• ONG Action et Solidarité, whose headquarters is in Godomey
• SPESS, motherless and fatherless home sited in Lomé, TOGO