Africa’s hospitality sector is entering a new growth phase, with hotel construction accelerating across the continent as tourism, business travel, and urban development continue to expand.
According to the Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2026 report by W Hospitality Group, the continent’s top hotel development markets account for 504 hotel projects with a combined pipeline of 97,878 rooms. Of this total, 54,742 rooms, representing about 56% of the pipeline, are already under construction.
The renewed construction momentum is underpinned by improving travel demand in Africa’s tourism economy.
Africa recorded an 8% increase in international tourist arrivals in 2025 compared with 2024, the strongest growth rate globally, according to UN Tourism.
The agency’s World Tourism Barometer shows the continent welcomed about 81 million international tourists in 2025.
Investors and global hotel brands are increasingly betting on Africa, from luxury resorts to business hotels.
Nairametrics reported on some of West Africa’s largest hotels, which include major hospitality landmarks like Transcorp Hilton Abuja, Rock City Hotel in Ghana, and Eko Hotels & Suites, which rank among the region’s biggest properties in terms of total room inventory.
Together, these top ten countries account for about 79% of all hotel rooms currently planned or being built in Africa, showing that most hotel investment on the continent is happening in a few fast-growing destinations.
Here are the top 10 African countries leading hotel construction projects by number of pipeline rooms.
Giant of Africa, Nigeria ranks third among Africa’s leading hotel development markets, with 57 hotel projects representing 8,480 pipeline rooms.
However, the country’s execution rate is relatively slower compared with some other markets, with about 3,328 rooms currently under construction. A significant share of projects remains in the planning or early development stages.
The pipeline is largely driven by expansion from major international hotel brands, including Marriott International, Sheraton, Radisson Hotel Group, amongst others, in the country’s commercial hubs, Lagos and Abuja.
Nigeria recorded 1.2 million international visitors in 2023, with over 1.29 million international visitor arrivals in 2024. Within this, Lagos alone, the primary gateway for international visitors and business travellers, received 18,273 international tourists in 2024, up from 16,798 in 2023 and 14,357 in 2022.
Several factors continue to drive hospitality demand in Nigeria, such as the seasonal diaspora travel, the annual “Detty December” festivities that draw visitors from across the world, cultural tourism and entertainment.
