Radisson Blu Addis Abeba Review

The Radisson Blu Addis Abeba is just a block away from the Hilton Addis but given the odd walkways and treacherous traffic and state of sidewalks, it can take 20 minutes to get there. I stayed a few times at the Radisson Blu Addis Abeba (my old review) and found it to be very solid. I was curious if anything had changed.

Check-in wasn't exactly friendly but very quick and the agent had no problem giving me a room at 10 AM. I wasn't prepared that would even work and had stayed in the lobby at the excellent To.Mo.Ca coffee shop for some time.


I got a room facing the backside of the building. Indeed there is no view just an ugly construction side (it's seemingly been that way since I was first visiting a few years back. However, the rooms are very well sound insulated. The Internet is also very fast (20 Mbit) and the air conditioning works just as it should - a bit of a rarity at 7,500 feet of elevation in Addis Abeba.

I thought the room was in perfect condition - superbly clean and the bathroom offered a rain shower that actually had great water pressure.






Besides the excellent coffee shop, the hotel has a lobby bar and restaurant. I had a dinner entree but it was pretty miserable (though it was cheap too).

There is also a spa and gym. The gym is small but has all the necessary (and modern) equipment.

I found the staff knowledgeable and highly professional (though not exactly friendly) at most interactions.

The biggest downside of the Radisson Blu is the almost complete absence of any public areas. There is a small outdoor area but it is often full of cigarette smoke and only gets sun for about an hour in the morning. Addis has beautiful weather and if you can escape the smog I'd love to be outdoors for some time.


In sum, this hotel has excellent management, modern rooms and great amenities plus great coffee. Don't expect great food and keep a full itinerary when staying here since there is nothing really to do at the hotel.