Grand Eliana Hotel Conference & Spa

A Layover Experience at Grand Eliana Hotel - Addis Ababa ⭐⭐ If you’ve ever had a long layover in Addis Ababa courtesy of Ethiopian Airlines, you might just find yourself at the Grand Eliana Hotel. That’s where I ended up on my journey from Nairobi to Abuja. Let me take you through my experience – the good, the bad, and the definitely not so grand. The Airport Pickup Confusion 🚐 Let’s start from the beginning. My long layover began with what I thought would be a straightforward pickup from Bole International Airport. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t. The pickup was disorganized, slow, and outdated – I mean, they were literally using manual lists. It took over 2 hours to get to the hotel from the time we landed, and some fellow passengers took almost 4 hours! Ethiopian efficiency? Not quite. A Bright Lobby & Quick Check-In ✨ Once at the hotel, things seemed to look up. The lobby was surprisingly refreshing – bright, clean, and welcoming. The check-in was impressively fast too, thanks to the staff already having our details. Passport, key, passport, key – done! The elevators worked without a hitch, and despite the chaos, the staff did their best to keep things moving. My Room on the 8th Floor 🚪 Now, to the room itself. After a minor hiccup with the keycard, I was given a manual key. Stepping inside, I noticed the room was spacious but a bit gloomy due to poor lighting. The bed was the room’s saving grace – soft, clean sheets, and a mattress that made me forget the long wait. I actually slept quite well. The Bathroom Horror 😬 Now, here’s where things went south. The bathroom was, frankly, disgusting. Dirty shower floor, a cockroach making itself at home, and just an overall unclean vibe. Towels at small and poor quality. I couldn’t bring myself to use the shower, and just opted for a quick wipe the next morning. Room Amenities - A Mixed Bag 🛋️ The room had some good features like a spacious balcony with a great night view of Addis Ababa. The TV, however, was a joke – a tiny little screen that felt more like a microscope. Plus, Wi-Fi? Forget it. It was virtually non-existent. Dinner Disappointment 🍽️ Dinner time arrived with high hopes. Sadly, it was another letdown. The food was cold – potatoes, rice, fish – all served without any real stew. Just some basic salad and fruits. The soda and wine were the only redeeming factors. Staff at the dining area looked overworked and stressed. I ate what I could, had some wine, and called it a night. Leaving the Next Morning 🕰️ The next morning, I skipped breakfast (after the dinner experience, I wasn’t risking it). The pickup back to the airport was 30 minutes late, but at this point, that seemed almost acceptable. Final Thoughts 🤔 I wouldn’t recommend Grand Eliana Hotel for a layover or any stay, honestly. It needs major improvements before I’d consider going back. The bed was comfy, and the view was good, but everything else fell flat. If you have no other choice, you’ll survive, but don’t expect much. Have You Stayed Here? If you’ve had a similar (or better!) experience, I’d love to hear from you. Drop a comment and share your thoughts! And if you found this review helpful, please like and recommend it to others. Don’t forget to check out my photos to see for yourself!

We had a terrible experience at Grand Eliana hotel. Their service was very poor while we were coordinating an event. There was nothing to drink in the coffee break session, the plastic cups were dirty, the staff weren't willing to assist us with our requests for the event. The toilet were dirty. They were lazy and slow! Overall 4/10 unexpected

Guys bear with me because you are about to hear my worst experience at this so-called GRAND hotel The façade is truly nice and in good condition But here is the catch When you go to the restaurant on the fourth floor like we did unfortunately, you are met with the worst service, food and the place ughhhhhhh so dull it's looks like a funeral place You wanna run and leave so fast When the food came I found a really long dark strand of hair in my food We went to the bathroom And we were warmly and beautifully greeted by the cockroaches Thanks for your service eLiANa