Hyatt Regency is becoming the eighth international franchise hotel to join the hospitality industry in the capital with a soft opening to be held on December 31, 2018.

Built to a five-star standard, the hotel is located five kilometres from Bole International Airport. The hotel features 188 guestrooms, including 12 suites, two executive suites, one presidential suite and one royal presidential suite with four bedrooms.

Standing at the junction of Africa Avenue and Jomo Kenyatta Street near Mesqel Square, the construction of the hotel took over 13 years to complete. The hotel has meeting facilities that boast 1,700Sqm. It also has recreational facilities including a fitness area with spa and manicure salon facilities, a 400Sqm terrace designed for dining and social events.

Standing at the junction of Africa Avenue and Jomo Kenyatta Street near Mesqel Square, the construction of the hotel took over 13 years to complete.

Hyatt Regency is the second franchise hotel to be owned by a non-national, aside from Sheraton Addis Hotel, which is owned by Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi. The owner, Albwardy Investment, is a Dubai-based company that operates a total of 30 companies globally including food distribution, logistics, marine engineering, construction, insurance, polo sports and hospitality.

Albwardy, which owns Hyatt Regency in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 13 other countries in Africa and across the world, invested 25 million dollars in acquiring the two hotels from M.A. Kharafi & Sons Plc in 2013. When Albwardy acquired the two properties they were still under construction and overseen by the consultancy firm of Zemedeneh Negatu.

The hotel features 188 guestrooms, including 12 suites, two executive suites, one presidential suite and one royal presidential suite with four bedrooms.

The former owners of M.A Kharafi & Sons Plc originally planned to build two hotels: a three-star hotel, Ibis; and a four-star hotel, Novotel, under the French Accor Hotel brand. Albwardy combined the two properties and created the five-star Hyatt Hotel.