Pros and Cons of the Hilton Addis Ababa in Ethiopia [Review]

Ethiopia is an incredible country, and it’s a massively important part of our human history. Its capital, Addis Ababa, also boasts one of the busiest airports in all of Africa.

I recently spent 3 nights at this property, and there were definitely highlights during my stay. The breakfast buffet was great, staff members were friendly, and the location was solid.

That said, the hotel has some issues to resolve, primarily related to maintenance and upkeep.

If you’re considering this property for an upcoming trip to East Africa, here are 6 things you should know about the Hilton Addis Ababa.

Booking Hilton Addis Ababa

Standard rooms at the Hilton Addis Ababa started at $147 per night for either a King Guest Room or Twin Guest Room with 2 beds. After taxes, the total cost was $169 per night.

You’ll notice that the hotel didn’t show pictures for the standard rooms; I’ll discuss why I think that is further below. The Deluxe and Executive rooms included pictures, appeared modern, and were available for higher prices, ranging from $161 to $183 before taxes.

The Hilton Addis Ababa participates in the Hilton Honors loyalty program, meaning you can earn points on paid stays and redeem points to stay here. If you have elite status with Hilton, you get the perks commensurate with your status tier.

Most nights of the year, you can find rooms available for redeeming Hilton points at a cost of 45,000 points per night.

Redeeming 45,000 Hilton points to save $169 for a hotel night means you’re using points at a value of 0.38 cents each. That’s below our average valuation of Hilton points at 0.5 cents each, meaning the more valuable option here is to pay for your stay and save your points for later.

Hot Tip:

If you’re paying for a stay at the Hilton Addis Ababa, using a travel rewards credit card or a Hilton credit card can help you earn extra points on the payment — points you can use for future travels.

Hilton Addis Ababa Location

The Hilton Addis Ababa is in the city center of Ethiopia’s capital, roughly halfway between Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD) and the National Museum of Ethiopia — famous for housing Lucy, one of the oldest fossils of human ancestry.

The hotel offers a shuttle to and from the airport. The trip takes 15 to 25 minutes, depending on traffic, and costs $22 per person one-way.

Hot Tip:

To find the shuttle after exiting the airport’s international terminal, follow the signs to the parking lot and hotel shuttles. The hotel uses more than 1 shuttle, and not all of them have the Hilton logo, so you may need to ask around to find it. If you’re arriving at the domestic terminal, contact the hotel (or ask Hilton to do so) to ensure the shuttle is waiting for you on arrival.

6 Things You Should Know About the Hilton Addis Ababa

1. Service Is Friendly

From the moment I arrived until I left 4 days later, I thought the service from employees at the Hilton Addis Ababa was great. Employees were consistently friendly and hospitable. The warm welcome at breakfast each morning was fantastic, the employees at reception were friendly and efficient, and those I passed in the hallway always said hello with a warm smile.

While checking in, I received a welcome letter that explained some of the hotel’s key amenities and listed the hours for the various dining establishments. I always love these at hotels because I know I won’t remember the hours for the gym, pool, restaurants, etc.

2. Standard Rooms Are Dated

Call it a conspiracy theory if you want to, but I think Hilton’s website intentionally doesn’t show pictures of the standard rooms. They were dated and desperately needed a renovation — something that appears to have been addressed in the premium rooms, based on the pictures shown during the booking process.

From the colors of the carpet and drapes to various design choices, the rooms didn’t feel modern. That dated feeling extended to lamps and other furnishings, and wear and tear was noticeable in my room. The flat-screen TV was the only item that felt updated in the room, and other elements could have used a refresh.

Near the room’s entrance, there was a closet with a folding door. Inside, I found a few shelves, some hangers, and a decent amount of space.

Standard guest rooms have balconies. These may face the pool area behind the hotel or face the parking lot and main avenue beyond. My balcony had 2 metal chairs, but they lacked cushions.

Hot Tip:

Earning elite status with Hilton Honors may qualify you for a room upgrade at the Hilton Addis Ababa. Luckily, getting status is pretty easy. It can be as simple as holding a Hilton co-branded credit card. For example, the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card confers Hilton Diamond status, which comes with perks like upgrades, bonus points, and more.

3. Bathrooms Are More Modern Than Bedrooms

I was surprised that the bathroom in my hotel room seemed to have been renovated, even though the room itself had clearly not been updated in many years. The bathroom had ample counter space with a nice marble pattern. The walls and floor had modern tile.

The toilet and the shower-tub combo didn’t feel as modern as the rest of the bathroom, but the bathroom overall was clearly newer than the bedroom. Plus, the shower had solid water pressure and got hot quickly.

4. Food and Beverages Are Varied and Great

The Hilton Addis Ababa offered multiple dining and drinking spaces.

The Lobby Bar and Lounge served drinks and light bites from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The Kikundi Café & Art Gallery was open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily and offered a traditional Ethiopian coffee service. This shouldn’t be missed if you’ve never experienced it before.

Out by the pool, the Gazebo Restaurant on the Park was open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily, though it only served food from noon to 10:30 p.m. Drinks were available throughout the restaurant’s operating hours. The Gazebo Restaurant offered sandwiches, pasta, and other international fare.

Kaffa House was the hotel’s main restaurant and near reception. It served a breakfast buffet from 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. on weekdays and until 11 a.m. on weekends. Lunch was from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. daily, while dinner was available from 6 to 11 p.m. daily. Along with international fare, the Kaffa House also offered some traditional Ethiopian dishes, although these were not a large portion of the menu.

5. There Are Numerous Amenities, and They Likely Increase Your Room Rate

The Hilton Addis Ababa has a great number of amenities. Some of them feel rather pointless, though, and their presence may drive up room rates — think the “you’re paying for the hotel to provide all of this stuff” mentality, even if the majority of guests aren’t using most of these amenities.

For example, there’s both an ATM and a bank in the lobby, along with a staffed Ethiopian Airlines travel agency.

The hotel also has numerous shops selling local goods and handicrafts — probably too many of them. Along with this shop next to the elevators in the lobby, the hotel’s lower level (out near the pool area) also has multiple shops with local goods, traditional clothing, and more.

The amenities list is also confusing in other ways. For example, there are shoe cleaning machines near the elevators on each floor.

The hotel also brags about its pool, yet it was inexplicably closed throughout my stay. Moreover, the gym gave me chuckles when I realized some of its equipment was outdoors. Look at the cardio equipment facing the pool deck.

6. Maintenance and Renovations Are Needed

Along with the standard rooms feeling outdated, the hallways on guest floors give off the same antiquated vibes. And that happens.

However, the hallways also revealed problematic areas, such as a significant issue with water damage inside the wall that had occurred at some point in the past. This section of the wall should have been replaced and then repainted.

And the puddle of water I found when I checked in was definitely a problem. This standing water was waiting for me when I arrived in my room, and I flagged down a member of housekeeping in the hallway. She attempted to clean it up, but the problem was bigger than her skill set.

She called maintenance, and the friendly employee arrived quickly. After working on this for a few minutes, he realized there was a crack in the toilet, causing water to leak out continuously.

He called the front desk and asked them to relocate me to another room. Someone arrived with a key to a different room within a few minutes.

I appreciated that all of this was done efficiently and that employees were friendly throughout the process. However, this cracked toilet, the closed pool, and water damage in the hallway point to larger issues that need to be resolved, all centering around maintenance.

Final Thoughts

Overall, the Hilton Addis Ababa has strong positives and strong negatives. Staff members are friendly and helpful, dining experiences during my stay were great, and the airport shuttle was advantageous.

However, the hotel badly needs upkeep, including water damage issues and the inexplicable pool closure. Speaking of facilities, the hotel offers a wide range of amenities that feel like overkill — and these are likely inflating the room rates in an unnecessary way, because you’re paying for things most guests don’t use. And the gym equipment that now sits outside is just strange.

I wouldn’t go out of my way to stay at the Hilton Addis Ababa in the future, but it’s a decent hotel. The pictures of the premium rooms look nice and suggest that the hotel is moving in the right direction. Renovating its standard rooms to match would move this property into the 21st century.