(Posted 04th October 2026)
The Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH) is developing a 150-key Hilton Garden Inn and wellness facility inside the existing Hilton Addis Ababa compound. The project is worth about $55 million, according to the holding company’s announcement.
EIH said the scheme will make better use of existing assets and expand quality hospitality offerings as the capital prepares to host the COP32 climate summit in November 2027.
According to EIH, Elmi Olindo Contractors PLC has been commissioned as the design-and-build contractor, with ZIAS Architecture and Engineering as project consultant. Completion is targeted for October 2027, just weeks before the summit opens. That leaves little room for delay on a project meant to be in service for the event.
The Hilton Hotel which is owned by EIH subsidiary Development & Hotels Company, and that the existing five-star hotel has around 370 rooms. The new hotel would therefore add roughly 40 percent to the compound’s room count, on land EIH already owns.
The announcement comes as the capital races to close a large accommodation gap. According to the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), city officials say Addis Ababa has about 25,000 beds and aims to raise this to more than 80,000 through new construction and upgrades to existing hotels, guesthouses and serviced apartments.
Recently MIDROC Investment Group CEO Jamal Ahmed as saying the group is mobilising resources to secure about 1,500 beds for COP32 delegates. Work has also resumed on the long-delayed Westin hotel project on African Union premises, which is expected to finish before the summit.
The wider data point to a pipeline that is large by African standards. According to W Hospitality Group’s 2026 Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa report, Ethiopia has 5,964 rooms across 34 hotels in the pipeline, ranking fifth on the continent, with nearly 80 percent of those rooms already under construction.
The report puts Africa’s total pipeline at a record 123,846 rooms. Hilton, one of the five global groups that dominate that pipeline, is therefore adding to a market where international brands are expanding quickly.
