A stay at Somatel Hotel places you in the heart of Douala, within a 15-minute walk of Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul and Espace Doual'art. .This hotel is 0.8 mi (1.3 km) from Eko Market and 0.9 mi (1.4 km) from Douala Maritime Museum.
What's nearby
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul - 6 min walk - 0.6 km
Espace Doual'art - 10 min walk - 0.9 km
Eko Market - 15 min walk - 1.3 km
Port of Douala - 4 min drive - 2.6 km
Douala Grand Mall - 6 min drive - 6.7 km
Getting around
Douala (DLA-Douala Intl.) - 26 min drive
Restaurants
Le Boj - 16 min walk
Opiom Bali - 3 min walk
Caf'Art Bali - 8 min walk
Mc Burger - 8 min walk
La Cigale - 13 min walk
About this property
Somatel Hotel
Beaux Arts hotel with free parking connected to the convention center in Douala
Somatel Hotel offers 52 accommodations with safes and complimentary toiletries. Rooms open to balconies. These individually furnished accommodations include desks. Flat-screen televisions come with cable channels.
Bathrooms include shower/tub combinations. This Douala hotel provides complimentary wired and wireless Internet access. A nightly turndown service is provided and housekeeping is offered daily. Amenities available on request include hair dryers.
Recreational amenities at the hotel include an outdoor pool.
Stay in one of 52 guestrooms featuring flat-screen televisions. Rooms have private balconies. Complimentary wired and wireless internet access keeps you connected, and cable programming provides entertainment. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.
Pamper yourself with onsite massages or enjoy recreation amenities such as an outdoor pool. Additional features at this Beaux Arts hotel include complimentary wireless internet access, babysitting (surcharge), and shopping on site. The shuttle (surcharge) will take you to the nearby beach or shopping center.
Enjoy local cuisine at La Voute, a restaurant which features a bar/lounge, or stay in and take advantage of the 24-hour room service. Quench your thirst with your favorite drink at the poolside bar. Buffet breakfasts are available daily from 6 AM to 10:30 AM for a fee.
Featured amenities include complimentary wired internet access, dry cleaning/laundry services, and multilingual staff. Event facilities at this hotel consist of a conference center and meeting rooms. A roundtrip airport shuttle is complimentary (available 24 hours).
Buffet breakfasts are available for a surcharge and are served each morning between 6 AM and 10:30 AM.
La Voute - This restaurant specializes in local cuisine and serves breakfast, lunch, dinner, and light fare. Guests can enjoy drinks at the bar. A children's menu is available. Reservations are required.
24-hour room service is available.
Property amenities
Internet
Available in all rooms: Free WiFi and wired Internet
Available in some public areas: Free WiFi and wired Internet
Parking and public transport
Free secured self-parking on site
Free 24-hour return airport shuttle
Airport shuttle on request
Local area shuttle (surcharge)
Beach shuttle (surcharge)
Casino shuttle (surcharge)
Ferry terminal shuttle (surcharge)
Shopping centre shuttle (surcharge)
Food and drink
Buffet breakfast available for a fee daily 6 AM–10:30 AM: USD 14 per person
1 restaurant and 1 coffee shop/cafe
1 poolside bar and 1 bar
24-hour room service
Coffee/tea in a common area
Restaurants on site
La Voute
Things to do
Outdoor pool
Shopping
Family friendly
Babysitting (surcharge)
Laundry facilities
Outdoor pool
Snack bar/deli
Soundproofed rooms
Conveniences
ATM/banking services
Lift
Front-desk safe
Guest services
Daily housekeeping
Dry-cleaning service
Laundry facilities
Multilingual staff
Porter/bellhop
Turndown service
Wedding services
Business services
Conference centre
Meeting rooms
Outdoors
Garden
Picnic area
Terrace
Spa
Massage - on the beach
Accessibility
Lift
More
Designated smoking areas
TV in lobby
Room amenities
Bedroom
Air conditioning (climate-controlled)
Blackout drapes/curtains
Bathroom
Free toiletries
Hairdryer (on request)
Private bathroom
Shower/bath combination
Towels
Entertainment
TV channels
Flat-screen TV
More
Desk
Individually furnished
Safe
Soundproofing
Turndown service
Policies
Check-in
Minimum check-in age: 18
Check-out
Check-out before noon
Special check-in instructions
This property offers transfers from the ferry terminal and airport (surcharges may apply); to arrange pick-up, guests must contact the property 48 hours prior to arrival, using the contact information on the booking confirmation
Pets
No pets or service animals allowed
Children and extra beds
Children are welcome
1 child, up to the age of 10 years, can stay for free if using existing beds when occupying the parent or guardian's room
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available
Payment types
Important information
Fees
You'll be asked to pay the following charges at the property. Fees may include applicable taxes:
A tax is imposed by the city: USD 4.88 per person, per night
We have included all charges provided to us by the property.
Optional extras
Fee for buffet breakfast: approximately USD 14 per person
The above list may not be comprehensive. Fees and deposits may not include tax and are subject to change.
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
Please note that cultural norms and guest policies may differ by country and by property; the policies listed are provided by the property
We should mention
Couples wishing to share a room must provide proof of marriage
Only registered guests are allowed in the guestrooms
No pets and no service animals are allowed at this property
Property is also known as
Somatel
Somatel Douala
Somatel Hotel
Somatel Hotel Douala
Somatel Hotel Hotel
Somatel Hotel Douala
Somatel Hotel Hotel Douala
Somatel Hotel Reviews
Reviews
5.8
All reviews shown are from real guest experiences. Only travellers who have booked a stay with us can submit a review. We verify reviews according to our guidelines and publish all reviews, positive or negative.
Rating 10 - Excellent. 3 out of 52 reviews" "
10 - Excellent
3
Rating 8 - Good. 12 out of 52 reviews" "
8 - Good
12
Rating 6 - Okay. 22 out of 52 reviews" "
6 - Okay
22
Rating 4 - Poor. 5 out of 52 reviews" "
4 - Poor
5
Rating 2 - Terrible. 10 out of 52 reviews" "
2 - Terrible
10
6.2/10
Cleanliness
6.4/10
Staff & service
7.0/10
Amenities
5.8/10
Property conditions & facilities
4.6/10
Eco-friendliness
Reviews
2/10 Terrible
michael, Bloomington
5 Jan 2022
michael
Stayed 4 nights in Dec 2021
8/10 Good
Valentin
19 June 2021
Valentin
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2021
2/10 Terrible
RaoulPao, Cincinnati oh
23 Nov 2020
Disliked: Cleanliness
My trip who's called i going to let you know when is the next trip
The Staff are very friendly with customers
The food are served on time
Duclos
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2017
6/10 Okay
Camille
21 Apr 2017
Disliked: Room comfort
Was good in general
Restaurant prices way over the top .
Swimming pool area constantly noisy with kids
Mattresses on beds need updating.... too old . Still recovering from pain due to sleeping on these hard mattresses
Camille
4/10 Poor
Verified traveller
1 Oct 2016
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Very old, with mold on the walls. The food at the hotel is really overpriced, and there isn't a place around to eat (within walking distance).
This hotel was terrible for the price. The room was not very clean and it was very small. There was hardly any place for me to put my bags. There was lots of mold/mildew in the bathroom on the walls. There was no proper air circulation in the room. I wasn't expecting anything of 5-star quality, but I was very disappointed. Won't recommend and won't stay here again.
Christie
2/10 Terrible
Adisa, Cleveland
17 June 2016
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
No concept of professionalism or customer service
The staff was unbelievably rude. They were also indifferent and slow to resolve the plumbing problems in my room. Customer service is not even a concept at the hotel. I was also told that breakfast was included but was given a bill upon checkout. I told the receptionist NOT to use the chip reader on my ATM card because it won't accept it and it will deactivate my card. He ignored me and I emphatically told him a second time. He did it anyway. The card was not accepted and my bank, who advised me not to use the chip reader abroad, deactivated my card. I will never stay at this hotel again. It was a terrible experience. The WiFi was also weak
Adisa
6/10 Okay
Yannick, Boston
8 Apr 2016
Liked: Cleanliness
Not bad
Not bad hotel
Yannick
8/10 Good
Brian, Ottawa
5 Jan 2016
Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Friendly and helpfull staff. Overall expensive.
Hotel and room are clean. Bed, bathroom, and air-conditioning are ok. They lost my paid-and-confirmed booking but me and the staff stayed polite and it got resolved. Very nice of them to go to pharmacy for me when I cought a cold. They offered to call taxi but they called an expensive private driver, which I admit is a lot more safe than yellow cab. Buffet food was very good. Relatively a good price for an all-you-can-eat buffet. But when eating a simple meal would have been ok, it is expensive (you still pay buffet if you only take 1 plate).
Brian
6/10 Okay
Brian, Ottawa
4 Dec 2015
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Clean, safe, and quiet.
Compared to my previous experience with them, this time it went well. The room and bathroom were clean and in working condition. It sure ain't like a western hotel but at least I felt safe. No problem with outside noises.
The room wasn't dirty but had a smell of humidity the staff was ok
I would say this is a one star hotel if you want something really clean look for something else however I'm not sure if this city has anything cleaner
It is well located, safe, but rooms are very small and I had air condition problems. They "fixed" but it was a fan...not willing to fix it again or change the room. Internet super slow!
Carlos
6/10 Okay
Verified traveller
6 Dec 2013
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Convenient location in the centre of Douala, very pleasant staff
Myself and a colleague stayed at this hotel for 3 nights as we had to do business within the Cameroon. I had printed out the confirmation of our stay at the hotel and thank goodness I did. It took the unfriendly receptionist about half an hour to find our reservation. There was no deep soaking bath and no view of the garden as indicated on the hotel reservation. It is not that bad if you are visiting for business purposes but would definitely not go here on holiday!
Extremely small room underground, very humid with lots of mosquitoes!! strong choking musty smell. Only a small window.
Impossible to sleep without mosquito net. Risk of malaria.
Staff at reception impolite and have a suspicious attitude toward guests.
Verified traveller
6/10 Okay
Christopher Agbaje, Lagos,Nigeria
27 Aug 2013
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
My stay at Somatel Hotel douala
Even though I was on a short trip(2 nights),The hotel location was convenient, neat room, heated water, functioning wifi, helpful staff, good buffet breakfast.Free shuttle to and fro airport is a plus. I would recommend this hotel.
Christopher Agbaje
8/10 Good
Abbey, Nigeria
22 Aug 2013
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Doula trip
Very pleasant stay and the breakfast is cool.
Abbey
6/10 Okay
Chet, Florida, USA
18 July 2013
Disliked: Staff & service, room comfort
First and last time
I was promised a room with WiFi, a safe and a bath. The room actually delivered had none of these. And to get to the resto, you have to climb one stairs and then go down another, and the inverse when you leave. An incredible design! On the other hand, the breakfast buffet was better than average. Overall, though, next time in Douala, I'll go back to my favorite Swiss Hotel.
Chet
6/10 Okay
jackson76wj, South Africa
5 June 2013
Liked: Cleanliness, room comfort
Reasonably prices hotel, perfect for short stay.
I only spent one night here, but the level of comfort is actually very commendable for this price range.
jackson76wj
6/10 Okay
Callie Tydeman
25 Feb 2013
The room was not as advertised and I had difficulty with communication as I do not speak French.
You won't find great luxury in Cameroon, but this hotel is pretty decent. The resturant was actually pretty decent (I've had some horrible meals in Cameroon). Rooms clean, found one small bug one night, most hotels in Cameroon, I essentially went hunting every night - so that was really good. Housekeeping staff couldn't wait to clean the rooms, fast and efficient. The pool was nice. Nice little bar.
Drawbacks
- some resturant staff need a lesson in customer service
- odd layout of hotel
- room was small