Month after the opening of Skylight Hotel, the Ethiopian Airlines Aviation Group has embarked on a second five-star hotel construction project.
The new hotel project, which is expected to cost of $ 150 million, is riding on the success of the Skylight Hotel, built at a cost of $65 million near the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, which opened in February.
Abraham Tesfaye, manager, Infrastructure Planning and Development, Ethiopian Airlines Group, said the second hotel is being built adjacent to the first hotel on 22,000sqm of land. On completion, the hotel will have 637 guest rooms, restaurants, bars, conference hall, swimming pool, fitness center and a basement parking which can accommodate 550 cars.
According to him, AVIC, a Chinese construction firm, conducted the design work and would also undertake the construction of the second hotel.
Speaking further, Abraham said the new hotel will surpass the first one in all standards. The first Ethiopian Skylight Hotel, which has 373 guest rooms across eight floors with a total floor area of 42,000sqm, according to him, was built at a cost of $ 65 million and stretched on 20,000sqm plot of land in front of the Millennium Hall.
It also offers three restaurants, three bars including a jazz club, grand ballroom designed to accommodate 2000 persons and five meeting rooms, among other facilities.
Busera Awel, Vice president, Strategic Planning and Alliances of the airline, said that Ethiopian Airlines is seeking to offer its passengers end-to-end travel experience and to contribute its share to the growth of the country’s tourism industry. “Addis Ababa is the main gate way to Africa. The hotel will play a significant role in boosting the tourism sector and making Addis Ababa a conference hub,” Busera said.
“We are offering tour packages (air ticket and hotel service) through Ethiopian holidays and bringing tourists here,” he added.
Busera said that Ethiopian Skylight Hotel is catering for not only Ethiopian Airlines passengers but also open for the public. “The hotel is hosting local, regional and international conferences. It is an ideal venue for company staff and management meetings, weddings and other events,” he said. When the second hotel is completed Ethiopian Skylight Hotel would have 1,000 guest rooms.
As well, the Ethiopian government is planning to make Ethiopia one of the top five tourist destinations in Africa and boost the number of tourists visiting the country to 10 million, hence need to provide befitting hotel infrastructure.
Ethiopian Skylight Hotel is managed by Grand Skylight Hotel Management Co. Ltd (GSHM), a Chinese hotel management company.
