Grand Skylight Hotel, a renowned home-grown hospitality brand in China, has successfully launched her flagship hotel in Addis Ababa, the hub city of East Africa with world-acclaimed Ethiopian Airlines. This move signifies Grand Skylight’s international presence in Africa, and is an affirmative step in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, cementing Sino-Afro ties further.
On January 27, 2019, Ethiopian Airlines unveiled the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His Excellency Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mr. Tewolde Gebre Mariam presided over and spoke at the grand opening. Ethiopian senior government officials, diplomats, international luminaries and global media representatives were among the close to 3,000 guests. Chairman of Shenzhen Grand Skylight Hotels Management Company (GSHM) Mr. Zhang Guochao addressed a noticeably impressed international audience.
“The hotel’s ambience is great. It’s contemporary, bright, and very luxuriously spacious, befitting a veritable landmark project in continental Africa,” H.E. Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said amidst profuse praise.
Ethiopian Airlines CEO Mr. Tewolde Gebre Mariam in his exalted speech briefed the guests about the hotel’s vast growth opportunities in the face of the exciting potential of local tourism and MICE market. He lauded the hotel’s pioneering team for their diligent efforts, and presented a personally signed Letter of Appreciation to the GSHM task force.
“We are very pleased to work with Ethiopian Airlines, harbinger of the new African spirit. Ethiopian Skylight Hotel is a landmark hotel, commanding the most rooms locally, most comprehensive facilities as well as the largest banquet floor space. The future beckons and the only limit is the sky,” said Mr. Zhang Guochao, Chairman of GSHM. “Shenzhen Grand Skylight Hotels Management Company is a famous brand from China with more than 33 years of international experience, and more than 60 hotels being managed and being built. As a member of Fortune Top 500 aviation – Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC), GSHM has spared no effort adding to China’s Belt and Road Initiative. Likewise, it is with utmost urgency that we have reinforced the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel’s pioneering team with whatever it took to render the grand opening a resounding success.”
About Ethiopian Skylight Hotel
The hotel is adjacent to Bole International Airport of Addis Ababa. It’s situated on about 40,000 square metres and backed by a USD65 million investment. It was built by AVIC Engineering Corporation as EPC contractor, with 373 guest rooms, three restaurants (inclusive of the biggest Chinese restaurant in Ethiopia at 900m2, and a 900m2 traditional Ethiopian restaurant), and three lounge bars. The Grand Ballroom is designed to host 2,000 guests at once, making it the largest ballroom in Ethiopia. The hotel offers five function rooms of varying capacity, fitness centre, outdoor heated swimming pool, mini golf driving range, a 600m2 exhibition centre, boutique shop as well as ticket office and other amenities.
About Grand Skylight Hotels Management Company (GSHM)
GSHM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of AVIC with a registered capital of 298 million yuan. The company started its business in 1985 from Shenzhen Shanghai Hotel and has more than 30 years’ experience in hotel planning, construction consultancy and operations management.
The company focuses on the mid-high-end hospitality sector. Up to now, the company has more than 60 hotels in China and overseas, and has ranked among the top 30 high-end hotel management groups in China.