The King Fahd Palace hotel in Dakar, renovated and fully booked for the Youth Olympic Games

Sixteen days before the Youth Olympic Games, Dakar’s King Fahd Palace is emerging from a complete overhaul and is fully booked for the entire competition. Senegal’s Minister of Tourism, Alpha Thiam, inspected it on Wednesday 14 October and called the outcome “highly positive”: the 378-room hotel will host 15 heads of state and their delegations.

☰Contents

1. 15 heads of state staying during the Games
2. A renovation ordered by President Faye
3. What is left to deliver by 26 October?
4. Furniture designed by Aïcha Dione
5. 378 rooms in 35 hectares of grounds
6. A 6,000 m² conference centre

15 heads of state staying during the Games

The Youth Olympic Games will bring together around 2,700 athletes in Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly, from 31 October to 13 November 2026. It is the first Olympic event ever staged on African soil, and the King Fahd Palace will welcome 15 heads of state and their delegations, as well as 177 guests of the Games.

According to the minister, the hotel is fully booked for the whole of the Games, with reservations extending beyond them. Mamadou Racine Sy, chairman of the hotel’s board, pointed to the agreement signed with Mamadou Diagna Ndiaye, president of the Games Organising Committee: “We will be ready for this historic deadline.”

A renovation ordered by President Faye

The upgrade was launched on the instructions of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, following an inspection in April 2026 and a follow-up visit in August. It forms part of the presidential hotel classification drive, and the national commission responsible for approving accommodation accompanied the minister on his visit.

Security, landscaping and infrastructure now meet international standards, according to Alpha Thiam. The minister praised “the rigour of the Senegalese new owners” and described the hotel as a “national jewel”, whose refurbishment will remain “one of the legacies of the Youth Olympic Games”. It echoes the approach of the Hôtel Ivoire in Abidjan, which is also modernising its tower.

What is left to deliver by 26 October?

The work is not quite finished: the management has committed to completing the remaining works and delivering every amenity by 26 October 2026. The final compliance checks will be wrapped up before the opening ceremony of the Games on 31 October.

The minister sees it as a sign that “tourism is truly back in Senegal”. He cites an 18% rise in bookings to Senegal at the latest Top Resa, the travel trade show held in France.

Furniture designed by Aïcha Dione

The renovation also gives pride of place to Senegalese design. The furniture was designed by Aïcha Dione, a designer and craftswoman, and the corridors are decorated with works by the painter Ousmane Ndiaye Dago. The minister describes the hotel as “a true open-air gallery”.

378 rooms in 35 hectares of grounds

Opened in 1991 at the tip of Les Almadies, the King Fahd Palace has 378 rooms and suites, from the 28 m² Superior room to the 42 m² Deluxe, with views of the ocean, the pool or the golf course, up to the 95 m² Junior Suite and the presidential suites. The hotel is rated five stars and listed as part of Senegal’s national heritage.

Facing the Atlantic, Les Jardins de l’Océan serves a lunch buffet of fish and seafood, from 12.30pm to 11pm; Le Manguier takes care of breakfast, and the Dizzy Bar pours cocktails to a jazz soundtrack until 2am. The grounds are home to a pool, golf course, tennis, a football pitch, a fitness trail, a wellness area and a gym.

A 6,000 m² conference centre

The King Fahd Palace has hosted more than 3,000 national and international events since 1991. Its conference centre brings together 66 meeting rooms and offices, a large 700-seat amphitheatre, a smaller 120-seat one and two adjoining halls of 1,000 m² each. Senegal will also host the Jeux de la Francophonie in 2031.

To keep up with African hospitality, read our article on the Kempinski Shekinah Palace project in Douala, and for major sporting events, our investigation into the hotels of the 2026 World Cup teams.