Hilton makes Zimbabwe hospitality debut

Hilton’s Harare debut signals growing confidence in Zimbabwe’s tourism market.

Hilton is entering Zimbabwe with the signing of the Hilton Garden Inn Harare Highlands. This marks the hospitality group’s first property in the country. The 140-room hotel is expected to open in early 2029. It will form part of the Highlands Precinct, a mixed-use development by Terrace Africa. It will combine offices, retail, dining, residences, hotels and conferencing facilities.

The development will be located in Highlands. Highlands is one of Harare’s established residential and diplomatic districts, approximately 20 to 25 kilometres from Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport. Its location is intended to provide convenient access to the capital’s commercial, diplomatic and cultural centres.

Important milestone for expansion

The announcement was made at ZimReal, a Zimbabwe property investment forum. It highlights the project’s significance within the country’s expanding property and hospitality sectors.

Carlos Khneisser, Chief Development Officer, Middle East & Africa, Hilton, said: “Entering Zimbabwe marks an important milestone in Hilton’s continued expansion across Africa and reflects our confidence in the country’s long-term hospitality potential.”

He pointed to Zimbabwe’s growing international tourism market. Zimbabwe welcomed more than 1.7 million international arrivals in 2025. Khneisser also described Harare as a key commercial, diplomatic and regional gateway. “Hilton sees strong potential in a market where demand from business and leisure travellers continues to grow,” he says.

Upscale but affordable

The Hilton Garden Inn will target both business and leisure travellers, offering what Hilton describes as upscale but affordable accommodation. Facilities will include an all-day restaurant with a terrace, lobby café and bar, gym, swimming pool with terrace and meeting rooms.

For Terrace Africa, the project forms part of a broader vision for the Highlands Precinct as a new mixed-use urban destination.

Brett Abrahamse, Director of Terrace Africa, said: “Our Highlands Precinct has been designed as a connected urban destination that reflects Harare’s growth and evolving lifestyle needs.”

He described Hilton’s arrival as “a defining milestone for the precinct”, adding that the partnership reinforces Terrace Africa’s ambition to create high-quality mixed-use environments serving residents, businesses and visitors.

Expanding the African footprint

The Zimbabwe signing forms part of Hilton’s wider African expansion. The company currently has more than 70 hotels trading across Africa, with more than 100 additional properties in its pipeline. More than half of those pipeline developments are located in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Hilton’s arrival therefore represents more than the addition of a new hotel to Harare. It signals international confidence in Zimbabwe’s longer-term tourism, business and property potential, while adding a globally recognised hospitality brand to a rapidly developing mixed-use precinct.

For Zimbabwe, the investment also comes as the country seeks to strengthen tourism, attract international investment and position Harare as an increasingly important regional business and diplomatic hub.

Image: Hilton Garden Inn in Zimbabwe. Image credit: Hilton

Hilton makes Zimbabwe hospitality debut