With a land mass of 36,125sq.km and GDP of $1.4bn in 2018, Guinea-Bissau is among the smallest West African countries by land mass and the 3rd smallest in Africa by economic size.

The completion of Hotel CEIBA, a luxury 180-key boutique property in the capital Bissau, during 2018, significantly changed the landscape for commercial real estate in the country. The clean and modern design of the development is a sharp contrast to many of the much older (mostly government) buildings in the country. For some context, at just 8 floors, it is currently the tallest building in Bissau. As the image below shows, it is located adjacent to the National Assembly office and along the Avi Francisco Mendes, a major artery within the city that also leads to Palasio de Republica, the Home of the President.

Guinea-Bissau was colonized by the Portugese in the 19th Century and became independent in 1972. It has a small population of 1.8m people with a GDP Per Capita of only $778. Though Bissau is popular for its islands and clean beaches within many tourism circles, there is little to no presence from the international hotel brands. This project is one of the few new high-quality projects that have been delivered, nonetheless, the country is still largely overlooked by international hotel brands such as The Radisson Group and Marriott when expansion plans are announced.

The 180-keys in Hotel CEIBA are broken down into 150 Deluxe Rooms, 10 Junior Suites and 20 Grand Suites while the amenities in the hotel include a swimming pool, spa and 3 high-end restaurants as well as a small cafe. Spain based architects – GC Arquitectos, designed the hotel while Riventi Fachadas Estructurales was the main construction consultant. It was promoted by D. Santiago Isaac Hanna Ibrahim. 

The owners say that they incorporated decor that features African and ethnic touches with the goal of giving them a unique personality while creating unique and exclusive experiences. Room rates range between $160 – $250 per night.