Kenya Ranks 6th in Africa for Upcoming Hotel Developments

Kenya has emerged as the sixth nation in Africa with the highest number of hotel rooms in the pipeline, highlighting the growing demand for accommodation for guests in the East African country.

The 2025 Hotel Development Pipeline Report, which was released early this week, shows that Kenya will be expecting to add 4,344 more hotel rooms this year.

Other countries in the top 10 category

This number is slightly higher than that noted for Tunisia, South Africa, Tanzania and Ghana.

“Africa as a continent is witnessing a shift from the rest of the world. Nairobi is located in a very central location. There are a lot of activities going on in the region which brings a lot of interest for corporates to operate from Kenya. This is why we are seeng more hotels rooms coming up in this country in 2025,” Mohammed Hersi, group director of operations, Pollmans Tours & Safaris said.

Tunisia, at position seven in the top 10 category, expects to have 4,336 rooms in 2025. South Africa, at position eight, expects 4,076 new hotel rooms, Tanzania, at position nine, will have 3,432 new hotel rooms, while Ghana, at position 10, expects to have 3,125 hotel rooms.

Egypt emerges top

The report compiled by Lagos-based W Hospitality Group shows that Egypt dominates the African pipeline, with 32.5 percent of the total hotel rooms this year, up from 28 percent last year, and four times the number of rooms in second-placed Morocco.

“This growth is further propelled by leisure destinations, driven by the Coast and well-established resort destinations like Sharm El Sheikh, Hurghada, and Marsa Alam, reinforcing Egypt’s position as a key player in the regional hospitality sector,” said Maya Ziade, chief development officer, premium, midscale & economy at Accor in a report seen by Kenyan Bulletin.

Egypt, at position one, expects 33,926 hotel rooms in 2025. It is followed by Morocco at position two, which expects 8,579 new hotel rooms, Nigeria at position three expects 7,320, Ethiopia at position four expects 5,648 new hotel rooms, and Cape Verde at position five expects 5,565 new hotel rooms in 2025.

Nigeria changed places with Morocco, coming in at third place, with only five deals signed in the former last year, and 13 in the latter.

More hotels come to Kenya

In a separate report, W Hospitality Group predicted that there would be an additional 4,268 rooms in Kenya.

The report said that Curio Collection by Hilton and Kenya Kwetu Nairobi, both situated in Nairobi’s Gigiri neighborhood, are among the facilities that should be expected.

The Ministry of Tourism noted that there was a 31.5% rise in visitor arrivals in Kenya from 1.48 million in 2022 to 1.95 million in 2023.