Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel: Where Otumfuo lost his jewels

General News of Friday, 12 October 2012

Source: Kelvin Dartey

Radisson Blu Hotel Full

It has emerged that the suitcase containing the jewels of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Asantehene were snatched at the lobby of Radisson Blu Plaza, a luxurious hotel situated in Oslo city center.

It is Norway’s largest hotel, with a height of 385ft.

The hotel is popularly referred to as ‘Hotel chisel” in Norway.

The thirty-third and thirty-fourth floors (the top of the building), have swimming pools and sauna.

The hotel has 37 floors and 673 rooms. There are a total of 1,500 beds, 140 business rooms and 20 suites.

The tower’s foundations are concrete, and it has reflective glass facades. The uppermost floors are tapered with a steep diagonal roof on one side, leading to a sharp ridge.

It also has an external glass elevator, which travels up to the bar/restaurant at the top. A lower block, three floors tall, contains the entrance, a lobby (where the Jewels were robbed see picture attached), restaurants and conference rooms.lo

The building was reportedly designed by white Arkitekter and completed in 1989 and officially opened on March 14, 1990, by King Olav V of Norway.
In 1992, a footbridge was built between the hotel and the Oslo Spektrum arena.

Precious crown jewels inherited by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II were on Thursday stolen from the lobby of a hotel in Oslo, Norway where he and his entourage have been staying as they attend the Norwegian-African Business Summit.

He ascended the throne in 1999 as the 16th ruler of Asanteman.
The Asantehene is a revered figurehead for Ghana’s largest ethnic group. He adjudicates in disputes and is closely involved in local issues.