Review: Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel Addis Ababa Airport (ADD)

For the next portion of my quick trip to Paris and Cairo, I had a long layover at Addis Ababa Bole International Airport (ADD), as I was arriving from Cairo in the early morning, and was departing for London very late at night. Fortunately Ethiopian Airlines has a great program whereby you can receive a transit hotel for long layovers.

In this post I’ll be reviewing my experience with that, including how I got the voucher for my stay, what the Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel is like, and what kind of meals are included.

Basics of Ethiopian Airlines’ transit hotel program

Ethiopian Airlines’ transit hotel program is available to those who have a layover of 8-24 hours in Addis Ababa. You wouldn’t be eligible if you’re spending less or more time in Addis Ababa than that. It doesn’t matter if you paid cash or redeemed miles, or which airline you booked through, as long as you arrive and depart on Ethiopian on one ticket.

Unlike with some other airline stopover programs, there’s no need to take the next flight in order to be eligible for this. In other words, you could intentionally book a connection for a later flight to receive a stopover hotel. When paying cash, you’ll notice that Ethiopian ordinarily charges an extra $70 (or so) if you intentionally plan a longer connection that makes you eligible for this. But that doesn’t apply when redeeming miles, or when you’re taking the most efficient itinerary between city pairs.

You don’t have to book this stopover program in advance, or anything. Instead, when you check-in for your Ethiopian flight (at an outstation), you should be given the voucher that you need. In the event that you don’t get a voucher at check-in (like if you use online check-in and don’t stop at the desk), you can proceed to the transit desk in Addis Ababa, and they can help you there.

Ethiopian Airlines transit desk Addis Ababa Airport

I was arriving from Cairo in Ethiopian Airlines’ A350 business class. I didn’t get my stopover hotel voucher in Cairo for two reasons:

• I checked in online, and the ground experience was a total mess
• I was hoping to specifically request the new in-terminal transit hotel, rather than the hotel outside the airport, and I figured I had better odds of getting that if I asked in Addis Ababa, where they might have more control over where they put you up

So upon getting off my flight, I walked in the same direction as everyone else, whether going to arrivals or international transfers.

I stopped at the customer service desk, which is where they can help with the transit hotel program (along with rebookings and any other needs). I’ve gotta say, this really wasn’t properly staffed — there was one person working there during a peak period for arrivals, and there was quite a queue. Not only that, but every few minutes someone would try to come up and cut everyone, thinking they were more important.

After around 30 minutes, it was my turn. The guy helping me was friendly. I asked if it was possible to stay at the in-terminal transit hotel, and he said that wouldn’t be a problem, since I was in business class.

I was amazed by the amount of typing and paperwork required to generate this voucher. You’d think this would be straightforward, given the volume of people who partake in this program. But it was a lot of work for him. Eventually I had my accommodation voucher in hand, and was told to proceed through transfer security. That was just a short distance away, and there was even a premium fast track lane.

Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel Addis Ababa location

The Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel is located in the departures area of Terminal 2, so you can only stay here if you have a departing boarding pass. Once on the departure level, I found the signage for the hotel to be quite good, as it stood out due to being green.

If you’re in the main stretch of the terminal, you’ll want to make a turn between gates A8 and A9, which leads to the hotel. This is in the same direction as gates B1 through B7.

This then required going down a level. During my visit there was some construction, so the only options were either a tiny elevator or a narrow staircase. Not exactly ideal during a peak period, where a massive number of people are headed this direction, since there are also gates here.

Then you just have to walk straight ahead and a short distance further…

…and then you’ll see the entrance to the hotel on the left.

Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel Addis Ababa lobby & check-in

My assumption was that I had a reservation at the Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel, in the sense that being confirmed there meant a room would be ready when I arrived. That wasn’t the case, though. The check-in process was quick, and then I was told to just wait for a moment. The lobby has just two couches, and there were nearly 10 people who seemed to be in the same position as me.

So I sat on the floor for some time. On the plus side, they do turn the rooms pretty quickly. Clearly a lot of people had checked out not long ago, taking the morning bank of flights. So it seems to me like housekeeping might’ve been the limitation here.

I ended up having to wait for about an hour. The friendly front desk associate commented on how I looked really tired and like I needed some sleep, and he escorted me to my room. He also gave me two meal vouchers, for breakfast and dinner. He explained that if I wanted lunch, I could have it in the Ethiopian Airlines Lounge (this transit hotel seems to be reserved primarily for business class passengers).

Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel Addis Ababa guest room

The Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel has a total of 97 rooms, in two wings. One wing is in the same area as reception, while the other wing requires you to cross that part of the terminal, walk through the hotel’s dining area, and then there’s a similar looking hallway.

Addis Ababa doesn’t exactly have the world’s most modern terminal (to put it politely), so by comparison, I was immediately impressed by how modern and luxurious the transit hotel felt, as it only opened a couple of years ago.

I was assigned room B049, which required turning left, and then it was down the hallway and on the right.

My first impression of the room was positive. The design is shockingly nice for an in-terminal transit hotel, and the rooms are even a pretty good size. I loved the wall treatments, the lighting, etc.

The room featured a king size bed. While I appreciated the four plush pillows, the mattress was way too firm for my liking, though we all have different preferences there.

Across from the bed was a wall-mounted TV, a desk with a chair, and a luggage rack.

There was a small setup with a kettle, a bottle of water, instant coffee, and tea, which was complimentary.

Unfortunately there’s nothing to speak of when it comes to views. The room just had a frosted window that you couldn’t see through, other than some faint light. I’d assume this faces some part of the inside of the airport, or something?

The bathroom had a sink, a toilet, and a walk-in shower.

The shower had two shower heads, and water pressure was quite good.

Toiletries were hotel branded, and there were also some other basic amenities, like a shower cap, a razor, and a dental kit.

Wi-Fi in the room was free, and was reasonably fast. All-in-all, I was pleasantly surprised by the room, especially in terms of design and spaciousness. I do wish the bed were a bit softer, and I should also mention that some of the construction definitely felt a little cheap and low quality, even if it looked nice.

Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel Addis Ababa restaurant & dining

The Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel has a restaurant area, which is located between the two wings of the hotel. It overlooks the rest of the terminal, and has plenty of seating.

Breakfast is served here for hotel guests from 6AM until 10AM, and dinner is served from 7PM until 11PM. There’s no lunch service nowadays, and instead guests are encouraged to eat at the lounge. When you come to the restaurant, you just present the voucher you’re given at check-in, and then you can help yourself to the buffet.

I skipped breakfast, since I just wanted to sleep, but I did come here for dinner. The selection exceeded my expectations. First, there were a variety of cold dishes, from salads, to dips, to assorted veggies.

Hot dishes include things like roasted tomato soup, pasta with tomato sauce, roasted potatoes, chickpea stew, beef stew, steamed white fish, chicken curry with cream sauce, and sliced beef.

Soft drinks were included, and then there were a few things that could be additionally purchased, like premium desserts. I wasn’t really that hungry, but I sat here for a bit, and tried a few different things.

Bottom line

The Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel is a nice addition to Addis Ababa Airport, as it feels a lot more luxurious than the rest of the facility. I appreciate Ethiopian’s transit hotel policy, and I’m happy I was able to check out the hotel in the terminal.

The hotel has modern rooms (though with hard beds), and an extensive buffet for breakfast and dinner. However, there’s nothing else in the way of amenities, so don’t expect a gym, pool, etc.

Many people may prefer staying at the Ethiopian Skylight Hotel located near the airport, which is one of the largest hotels in the country, and it’s where most people using this program stay.

In case you’re curious why I wanted to stay at the location in the terminal, the answer is twofold. For one, it’s a fairly new hotel, so I wanted to review it. Second, I also wanted to review the Ethiopian Airlines Lounge in the middle of the day when it’s quietest (given that the airline has such a banked network), and this would allow me to do that.

What’s your take on the Ethiopian Skylight In-Terminal Hotel in Addis Ababa?