HILTON ENTER ZIMBABWE WITH THE SIGNING OF HILTON GARDEN INN HARARE HIGHLANDS

Hilton has announced the signing of Hilton Garden Inn Harare Highlands, marking the global hospitality company’s entry into Zimbabwe and the debut of its upscale, focused-service brand in the country.

The announcement was made on 26 August 2026 in partnership with Terrace Africa, the property developer behind the Highlands Precinct in which the new hotel will be located. It was made at ZimReal, Zimbabwe’s leading property investment forum.

The hotel is expected to open in early 2029. It will form part of the Highlands Precinct, a mixed-use development bringing together offices, retail, dining, residences, hotels and conferencing facilities. The precinct sits within one of Harare’s established residential and diplomatic districts, roughly 20 to 25 kilometres from Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, placing it within easy reach of the city’s key commercial, diplomatic and cultural destinations.

Carlos Khneisser, Hilton’s Chief Development Officer for the Middle East and Africa, said entering Zimbabwe marked an important milestone in the company’s continued expansion across the continent. He pointed to Zimbabwe’s growing appeal as a travel destination, noting that the country welcomed more than 1.7 million international arrivals in 2025, and described Harare as a key commercial, diplomatic and regional gateway. He added that the partnership with Terrace Africa would allow Hilton Garden Inn to bring its service standards and guest amenities to a market where demand from both business and leisure travellers continues to grow.

Hilton Garden Inn Harare Highlands will offer 140 rooms and suites, designed to provide business and leisure travellers with upscale, affordable accommodation and modern amenities. Guests will have access to an all-day dining restaurant with a terrace, a lobby café and bar, a gym, a pool with terrace, and meeting rooms, giving visitors space to work, meet, dine and unwind without leaving the property.

Brett Abrahamse, Director of Terrace Africa, said the Highlands Precinct had been designed as a connected urban destination reflecting Harare’s growth and evolving lifestyle needs. He described the partnership with Hilton as a defining milestone for the precinct, reinforcing Terrace Africa’s ambition to create high-quality, mixed-use environments serving residents, businesses and visitors alike. Together, he said, the two companies were bringing a globally recognised hospitality brand to a destination built for the future of the city.

The signing forms part of Hilton’s broader momentum across Africa, where the company currently operates more than 70 trading hotels, with over 100 more in the pipeline. More than half of these are located in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Terrace Africa has operated within the African real estate sector since 2011, delivering more than 520 million US dollars in property developments across active sites in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique and South Africa. The company also serves as asset manager for the ZSE-listed Tigere REIT, and is the master developer of the Highlands Precinct, a commercial and hospitality node in Harare’s tree-lined Highlands suburb.

The arrival of Hilton Garden Inn adds a well-known international name to Harare’s growing hospitality landscape, and signals continued confidence in Zimbabwe as an emerging destination for both business and leisure travel.