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.
Morocco ranks second among Africa’s largest hotel development markets, with 75 hotel projects representing 10,606 pipeline rooms.
The country also stands out for its strong execution rate, with 6,859 rooms already under construction, representing about 64.7% of the total pipeline.
Much of this pipeline is being driven by the expansion of major international hotel brands, including Marriott International, Hilton, Accor, amongst others.
Hotel development in Morocco is heavily concentrated in Marrakech, Casablanca, Rabat, and the coastal tourism hubs along the Atlantic. Marrakech in particular has emerged as a flagship tourism city, combining luxury resorts, cultural attractions, and large-scale conference facilities.
The country welcomed about 19.8 million international tourists in 2025, marking a 14% increase compared with the previous year and the highest level on record, according to official tourism data.
