Ethiopian Airlines owned Skylight Hotel today said the Five-Star hotel has opened a cultural restaurant in a bid to attract tourists and to provide them global standard services.
Named Ethiopian TAEM or ‘taste of Ethiopian’, the cultural restaurant features Ethiopian Cuisines, national dishes and traditional alcoholic beverages and it welcomes guests in the Lunch and dinner with a La Carte menu to keep them going long into the evening.
In an exclusive interview with Borkena, Mr. Karl Hala, Skylight Hotel General Manager said the TAEM cultural restaurant is “serving an extensive range of cultural cuisine , a wide range variety of drinks, various traditional songs and assortment of dances from around the country”
“It also is a great place (location) for tourists or transit passengers to attend Ethiopia coffee ceremony, which is an integral part of Ethiopians social and cultural life” Hala added.
In Ethiopia, inviting a person to attend a traditional coffee ceremony, country’s unique tradition, is considered a mark of friendship and is an excellent example of the Ethiopians hospitality.
The newly opened cultural restaurant also entertains tourists and transit passengers a Live traditional Band with dance performances.
“Every guest or tourist who will visit Ethiopia or transit via Addis Ababa will be able to experience the cultural and social values, history and life style representing the various nations and nationalities across the nation” said Hala citing to TAEM’s cultural Band.
Borkena has learnt that, the flag carrying Ethiopian airlines, a member of the star Alliance Network and an annual multiple award-winning airliner is also considering the construction of a second hotel planned to be operational in 2021
According to the General Manager, Ethiopian Airlines is committed to contribute its share for the development of hotels and global standard customer service that international tourists expect.
“So this is the beginning of a long journey in building the hotel here in Ethiopia” he underscored.
The just opened cultural restaurant is one of the three main restaurants in the hotel including a Chinese Restaurant, which is the biggest in the East African region.
As well as promoting Ethiopian tourism, this hotel will also welcome passengers during transits, stopovers or possible technical delays.
With regard to roles it could play on the country’s tourism sector, Mr. Karl Hala strongly believes the cultural Restaurant would have a great role of the tourism mix for destinations.
“It enhances the image of a destination (Addis Ababa), it creates jobs and demand for foods produced in regions”
Built at a cost of $ 65 million, Skylight Hotel, located five minutes drive from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, was inaugurated last January.
It accommodates 373 luxurious rooms including presidential suites and state-of-the-art facilities, Ethiopian Skylight Hotel is the largest Five-Star hotel in Ethiopia .
The hotel combines luxury and fascinating view including a rooftop executive lounge, blue jazz bar, All Day Dining restaurant, lobby lounge, swimming pool, spa, gym and many more.