Africa’s hotel development pipeline has reached a record 123,846 rooms across 675 hotels and resorts, according to the 2026 Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa report by W Hospitality Group.
The report shows the pipeline expanded 18.6% year-on-year, reflecting continued investor interest in the continent’s fast-growing tourism and hospitality sector.
Despite the overall growth, hotel development remains concentrated in a handful of markets. The top ten countries account for about 79% of all pipeline rooms and more than 75% of new hotel signings, highlighting the dominance of a few major destinations.
Egypt leads the continent with 45,984 rooms across 185 hotel projects, representing more than one-third of Africa’s entire pipeline. The country’s pipeline is more than four times larger than that of Morocco, which ranks second with 10,606 rooms across 75 projects.
Other major markets include Nigeria with 8,480 rooms, Kenya with 6,190 rooms, and Ethiopia with 5,964 rooms. Ghana ranks tenth with 3,942 rooms across 26 hotel developments.
While North Africa dominates the pipeline in terms of volume, the report highlights East Africa as the region with the strongest construction momentum. Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania each have nearly 80% of their pipeline rooms currently under construction, suggesting significant new hotel supply could enter the market in the near term.
At the operator level, global brands continue to dominate Africa’s hotel expansion. Marriott International leads the development pipeline with 31,782 rooms, followed by Hilton and Accor. Together with IHG Hotels & Resorts and Radisson Hotel Group, the five largest international hotel chains account for about 80% of all pipeline projects on the continent.
The report estimates that more than 65,000 rooms could open between 2026 and 2027, although actual completions may fall short due to the gap that often exists between project announcements and final delivery.
Further analysis of the report’s findings is expected to be discussed at the Future Hospitality Summit Africa 2026, scheduled to take place in Nairobi, Kenya from March 31 to April 1.
