Hilton, a leading global hospitality company, is expanding its West African footprint with plans for a 196-room DoubleTree hotel in Guinea, marking the U.S. hospitality group’s entry into a market where international hotel operators are competing for business travelers, government delegations and growing demand for quality accommodation.

The company announced an agreement Oct. 30 with Falibra Group and SCF SA to develop the DoubleTree by Hilton Conakry Kaloum. The property will occupy the site of the Grand Hôtel de l’Indépendance in Conakry’s Kaloum district, with an opening targeted for 2029.

The development, structured as a public-private partnership, will include guest rooms and suites and primarily target corporate travelers and official delegations. Hilton’s entry into Guinea adds another West African market to its expansion strategy, which increasingly relies on partnerships with local investors and developers.

Hilton steps up African expansion

The Guinea agreement follows an aggressive expansion drive across the continent. Hilton reported signing 29 hotel agreements in 15 African countries during 2025, with plans to open more than 100 additional properties. More than half of those developments were expected to be located in sub-Saharan Africa.

In Sierra Leone, Hilton signed an agreement with FB Group in March 2026 to develop the 110-room Hilton Garden Inn Freetown Airport. The property, near the Lungi Congress Centre, was initially scheduled to open in 2026, but Hilton’s website now lists reservations beginning in February 2027.

The group is also developing the 165-room DoubleTree by Hilton Lomé Airport in Togo through a partnership with SODEXH SA. Announced in December 2025, the project will include conference facilities and is located opposite Gnassingbé Eyadéma International Airport. An environmental and social assessment estimated the investment at 6.8 billion CFA francs ($11.5 million).

Ghana and Benin add projects

Ghana is another focus of Hilton’s West African development pipeline, with two hotels planned in Accra. The 170-room Hampton by Hilton Accra Airport, announced in June 2025 with Amani International Hospitality Ltd., was initially expected to open in 2026. Hilton now lists reservations from Jan. 1, 2027.

The second development, Hilton Accra Cantonments, is being built with High Street Development Co. Ltd. The 145-room property was announced in June 2023 and remains among Hilton’s upcoming hotels, although its original opening target was 2026.

In Benin, Hilton is working with the government and Société de Développement Hôtelier du Bénin to renovate an existing property into the 233-room Hilton Cotonou. Confirmed in June 2025, the project received construction authorization in September 2024 and is expected to welcome guests in 2028.

If completed, the developments will broaden Hilton’s presence in a region where its operating hotels remain concentrated largely in Nigeria and Cape Verde. The strategy gives the company access to emerging hospitality markets without relying exclusively on direct investment in hotel construction and ownership.

Africa’s hotel pipeline expands

The expansion comes as international hotel investment across Africa gathers pace. Hospitality consultancy W Hospitality Group reported that the continent’s development pipeline reached 675 hotels comprising 123,846 rooms in 2026, an increase of 18.6% from the previous year. Planned room capacity in sub-Saharan Africa rose 11%.

Marriott International is also increasing its exposure to the continent, targeting more than 50 additional properties and 9,000 rooms by the end of 2027. Its West African expansion has included the Sheraton Nouakchott in Mauritania, which opened in November 2025, and Four Points by Sheraton São Vicente Resort in Cape Verde in January 2026.

France’s Accor and Radisson Hotel Group are pursuing similar opportunities. Accor signed a letter of intent with Shoreline Group in May 2026 to develop a portfolio of 10 hotels in Nigeria by 2030, underscoring the competition for investment and hospitality demand across major African markets.

Hilton strengthens global position

Hilton’s African expansion is backed by a global portfolio spanning 28 brands, more than 9,600 properties and over 1.4 million rooms across 144 countries and territories. The company has also reported strong development activity, approving 30,500 rooms during the third quarter of 2026.

Its development pipeline reached 543,100 rooms as of Sept. 30, up 5% from a year earlier. Hilton also added more than 180 hotels and 27,000 rooms to its operating system during the quarter, its largest-ever quarterly addition of rooms on an organic basis.

The company reported third-quarter adjusted EBITDA of $1.06 billion and net income of $536 million. It also announced plans to transfer its stock listing from the New York Stock Exchange to Nasdaq, with trading under its existing HLT ticker scheduled to begin Nov. 5, 2026.

For Hilton, the Conakry agreement is another step into markets where international hotel brands see room for growth. Its success will depend on converting development agreements into completed properties as competition intensifies for Africa’s business travel, tourism and conference markets.