Queens’ hotel siege costs $37,000

The Ministry of Youth and Sports is to pay about $37,000 as cost for the nine-day stay of the Black Queens at the M-Plaza Hotel since their return from Brazzaville where they won gold at the All Africa Games.

According to a report by Joy FM, the ministry was already indebted to the hotel.

According to the report, the 28-member contingent, comprising 20 players, eight officials were billed $150 per night at a discount for nine days, which works up to $1350 per person and $37,800 in total.

However, the management of the hotel agreed to round the bill to $37,000 “due to the good relationship we have with the ministry”, an official of the Roman Ridge-based hotel said yesterday.

The 100-room hotel, which has over the years accommodated various national teams, housed the Queens in single rooms with standard double beds, doubles with queen-size beds, and twin-bed rooms. None of the hotel's executive suites, the executive doubles, or presidential suites were used by the Queens.

Yesterday the Queens eventually checked out of the hotel after they received $5,000 each from the government to end a standoff with the ministry over the payment of their winning bonus and outstanding monies. The impasse reached a head when the players refused to leave despite an ultimatum to check out by last Monday.

It took the intervention of President John Mahama to resolve the standoff, following the decision to pay them $5,000 each with a promise to resolve all outstanding issues later.