Ethiopian Skylight Hotel

Ethiopian Skylight Hotel is owned by Ethiopian Airlines and was inaugurated on 27 January 2019, right beside Bole International Airport, the airline's hub. A major expansion of 651 rooms opened in 2023, taking the total to 1,024. Ethiopian Airlines' ShebaMiles programme describes it as the largest and most luxurious hotel in Ethiopia, and every room has a city view, an airport view or both. It is rated five-star by Ethiopia's Ministry of Culture and Tourism. For anyone in transit, or arriving late and leaving early, the location is the main attraction: the hotel says the terminal is about five minutes' walk away.

The scale means plenty of choice for eating and drinking. The hotel lists outlets including the ADD Restaurant, the Asian Bay restaurant, Ethiopian Ta'em Cultural Restaurant for traditional food, Jegol for Arabic cuisine and TinyTalian for Italian, alongside the Connexions lobby lounge and terrace, the Sky Lounge, Bean Kaffa coffee house, the Blu Jazz Bar, the Baboon Lounge Bar, the Ertale Lounge and the Aquarius Pool Bar. The airline counts 17 food and drink outlets in all, including TaiChi, which it bills as the largest Chinese restaurant in East Africa, so it is possible to stay several nights without repeating a meal. For events, the Grand Ballroom holds up to 2,000 seated guests and can be divided into five halls.

Leisure facilities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, the outdoor one heated, and the Serenity Spa, which offers Thai and other massages. The Green Apple Health Club adds a fitness centre, a mini-golf course and a beauty salon. For the shortest stays, there is also a separate Skylight In-Terminal Hotel with 97 rooms, useful during long connections when you do not want to pass through immigration.

The hotel suits transit passengers, families breaking a long journey and business travellers with meetings near the airport. It is further from Piazza and the older parts of the city than central hotels, so it works best for short stays or as a first and last night.

Reservations can be made by phone or by email through the hotel's reservations team. Yod Abyssinia's main branch, about five minutes from the airport, is a convenient choice for a cultural dinner with music and dance without a long drive, and the cafes of Bole Medhanialem are close by for a macchiato before your flight.