New star ready for service in Hawassa

South Star International

By Neamin Ashenafi

Hawassa, Ethiopia – A new five star hotel, South Star International, was officially opened in Hawassa on Saturday September 21, inaugurated by Dessie Dalke, president of the Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples Regional State (SNNPRS).

Also present were Tadelech Dalecho, the state minister of culture and tourism, and Yonas Yosef, the mayor of Hawassa town.

Designed by ODES Architects, the hotel was built at a cost of 246 million birr and employed more than 200 permanent and temporary employees during the construction stage.

The hotel has 114 well-furnished rooms, with suites named after historical Ethiopian tourist destinations such as Axum, Tana and Ertale.

The rooms are divided depending on size, from family to standard bedrooms.

The hotel also has three restaurants, three bars, two cafes, a swimming pool and a parking lot that can accommodate more than 150 cars at a time.

Apart from these facilities, the hotel has a VIP suite with its own bar and a separate elevator. Security is covered by more than 70 CCTV cameras, and the hotel currently employs some 230 staff.

Yared Feysa, the owner of the hotel, revealed that Element Hospitality Management and Consultancy PLC had managed the interior design and other features. “The major uniqueness of the hotel is that we strongly believe in professionalism, using professionals who have worked in the hotel industry for a long time,” Yared told The Reporter.

Wendwossen Admassu, managing partner of Element Consultancy, told The Reporter that the owner was willing to adapt and apply the advice and assistance of the professionals. The consultancy firm was ever present, starting from its construction to the final staff recruitment stage.

The hotel has received a 12,000 sqm plot of land from the Hawassa town administration for further expansion. The second phase of the hotel will be finalized within four years and is expected to cost more than 300 million birr, Yared said.

Source: TheReporterEthiopia.com