Nigeria has dropped to third place in Africa’s 2025 hotel development pipeline, with 48 projects and 7,320 rooms planned.
Previously ranked second, Nigeria was overtaken by Morocco, which saw 13 hotel deals signed in 2024—more than double the five deals recorded in Nigeria.
Egypt remains the leader in the pipeline, accounting for 32.5% of Africa’s total planned rooms in 2025—four times the room count planned for Morocco.
This shift in rankings is highlighted in the Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2025 report, released in March by W Hospitality Group, a Lagos-based firm specialising in Africa’s hotel, tourism, and leisure industries.
“Egypt dominates the African pipeline every year, with 32.5 per cent of the total rooms this year, up from 28 per cent last year, and four times the number of rooms in second-placed Morocco.
“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,” the report read in part.
The report also provided a breakdown of Nigeria’s 2025 hotel pipeline: of the 48 planned projects, 61% (4,468 rooms) were in the pre-construction phase, while 39% (2,852 rooms) were under construction.
This analysis, part of the 17th edition of the annual survey, tracked data from 50 international and regional hotel chains across Africa. It revealed a record total of 577 hotels and resorts, with 104,444 rooms planned as of early 2025—a 13.3% increase over 2024 and far outpacing global pipeline growth trends.
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Although Nigeria’s ranking has dropped, Lagos remains a key hotspot for hotel development, led by Marriott International, which has eight hotels and 1,228 rooms in the pipeline.
Marriott’s strong local presence, including a development executive based in the region, has been a crucial factor in sustaining momentum. Accor follows with five hotels, while Radisson Hotel Group and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts each have three projects. Hilton has two.
- Meanwhile, Abuja, the country’s political and administrative capital, lagged behind in actual development. Of the 14 pipeline projects in the city, nine were still in the pre-planning phase, and the rest were progressing slowly, making it unlikely that any would open in 2025.
- Actualising pipeline deals remains a challenge across Africa. Egypt, despite leading the pipeline, opened just three of its 12 scheduled hotels for 2024—an actualisation rate of 25%. In contrast, Morocco achieved 50%, opening 10 of its 20 scheduled hotels.
In total, 59 chain hotels, adding approximately 9,500 rooms, opened across Africa in 2024, signalling a recovery from pandemic-era slowdowns. Projections for 2025 suggest 155 hotel openings, with half of the pipeline expected to be operational by the end of 2026.
W Hospitality pointed out that Africa’s hospitality sector continues to attract strong investor interest, with 125 new deals signed in 2024, adding 21,000 rooms to the pipeline.
