Launch of its new residential project, "Hyatt Centric Cairo West Residence"
Sherif Fathy: We look forward to more hotel investments like this, which represent a real addition to Egypt's tourism infrastructure
On behalf of Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, attended yesterday evening the official opening ceremony of the "Hyatt Centric Cairo West" hotel, the first art hotel in Egypt and Africa, whose design and identity are based on contemporary Egyptian art.
The opening coincided with the exclusive launch of the hotel's new residential project, "Hyatt Centric Cairo West Residence," the first project in Egypt in which the hotel opens before the residential units are put on the market.
This comes within the framework of a strategic partnership between ADD Real Estate, one of the companies of Samy Saad Holding Group, and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, in the presence of Bassel Samy Saad, Chairman of ADD Real Estate Development, and Javier Águila, President of Hyatt for Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
The opening was attended by Dr. Ibrahim Saber, Governor of Cairo; Eng. Adel El-Naggar, Governor of Giza; Dr. Ahmed Ghoneim, CEO of the Grand Egyptian Museum Authority; Hossam El-Shaer, Chairman of the Egyptian Tourism Federation; Ahmed El-Wassif, member of the federation's board; Kamel Abou Aly, Chairman of the Red Sea Investors Association; and Tamer Makram, Chairman of the South Sinai Tourism Investors Association, along with a number of prominent businesspeople and public figures.
In his speech at the opening, Sherif Fathy conveyed the greetings and congratulations of Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly to those behind this distinguished project, and his appreciation for the efforts made to achieve this accomplishment, looking forward to more successes and future cooperation in such projects, which represent a real addition to Egypt's tourism infrastructure.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities pointed to the pressing need to double the number of hotel rooms in Egypt over the next five years, which is a major challenge but a necessity to accommodate the numbers of tourists arriving in Egypt, especially in light of the positive indicators the country's tourism sector is witnessing.
The Minister of Tourism revealed that inbound tourist traffic to Egypt from January to May of this year grew by 26% in tourist numbers compared to the same period of 2024, when growth ranged between 4% and 6%. The same period also saw a notable increase in tourist spending rates.
Sherif Fathy stressed that the Egyptian government and all those working in the tourism sector welcome such high-quality investments, which help strengthen Egypt's tourism infrastructure and create new job opportunities.
He stressed the importance of qualifying and training workers in the tourism sector, particularly in soft skills, noting that the ministry intends in the coming short period to launch an e-training platform, a "Learning Management System," to train and qualify employees of the ministry and the private tourism sector in cooperation with the Egyptian Tourism Federation.
Concluding his speech, Fathy said that reaching the target of 30 million tourists annually is an ambitious step toward the future that requires concerted efforts to provide the necessary infrastructure of hotels, airports and airline seats. He expressed his delight at what he witnessed as a successful model of cooperation between the local and international sectors, and congratulated those behind the project on the strategic memorandum of understanding signed yesterday, in the presence of the Prime Minister, between ADD Real Estate and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, looking forward to more hotels of this caliber being built in the coming period.
The Minister of Tourism and Antiquities also toured the hotel, inspecting its rooms and suites and the service areas it offers, including restaurants and other facilities.
For his part, Bassel Samy Saad expressed his thanks and appreciation to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities for supporting and encouraging this distinguished hotel project, noting that the memorandum of understanding signed yesterday between ADD Real Estate and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, in the presence of the Prime Minister and the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, is a strategic step within an ambitious expansion plan targeting the construction of a number of new hotels in Egypt, with the aim of increasing hotel capacity to accommodate the expected growth in tourist numbers.
In a related context, Javier Águila, President of Hyatt for Europe, Africa and the Middle East, noted that this hotel is one of Hyatt's landmark properties, stressing that the choice of the West Cairo area was no coincidence but came in recognition of its prime location, particularly its proximity to the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza Pyramids, and pointing out that more such projects are planned for the future.
The "Hyatt Centric Cairo West" hotel is distinguished by its unique location near the Grand Egyptian Museum and the Giza Pyramids, and by its artistic design, created with the participation of 11 Egyptian artists in a contemporary vision executed by "ADD Art," to embody the spirit of Cairo, its history and its vibrant culture. The hotel has 304 rooms and suites.
Hyatt Hotels is the world's fourth-largest hotel brand. It had stopped operating in the Egyptian market for about 10 years until 2022, when ADD Real Estate succeeded in bringing the brand back by opening the "Hyatt Regency Cairo West" hotel, with a capacity of 250 rooms and suites, achieving remarkable success and winning several international awards.
It is worth noting that Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly had witnessed yesterday morning the signing ceremony of a strategic memorandum of understanding between ADD Real Estate and Hyatt Hotels Corporation, in the presence of Sherif Fathy, Minister of Tourism and Antiquities, aimed at boosting hotel room capacity in Egypt and meeting the expected growth in tourist numbers through projects carrying international brands in strategic locations across the country.
