17 hour layover at ADD, eligible for free hotel?
 

I have some upcoming flights with Ethiopian Airlines and a 17 hour layover at ADD and I was wondering if am eligible for a free hotel? And what do you have to do at the airport to get this free hotel?

Regards,


Granite64

Yes, you'll be eligible. They should give you a voucher when you check-in at the departure airport. If not then go to the transit counter in ADD. You'll show your voucher to immigration and they'll stamp your boarding pass, no visa needed.

As long as you are connecting between ET flights, they will provide a free hotel night, meals and airport transportation. You will also not need to pay for your visa, but rather be given a transit pass. I have never received the hotel vouchers at departure, but it is pretty straightforward in ADD - you need to go to the transit/hotel counter on the arrivals level (before the stairs down to passport control), they take your passport and your boarding passes, manually fill out a voucher (and assign you a hotel) and then you go through immigration, pick up your bags (if you checked them only to ADD), go through customs and then wait in the 'bus passenger waiting zone' (after the X-ray machines of customs but before leaving the sterile area. Somebody will eventually come and fetch you, once the shuttle bus for your hotel arrives. The hotels, which ET uses, are not great by and large, mostly local hotels on the periphery of the city, but they are usually clean and safe, the food uninspiring, but edible. If you are flying in business class, they will put you in the Hilton Hotel (which is also not great), but in coach there is no telling where you will end up.

Question for Arnur or anyone:

Just to confirm, one would have the ability at the origination check-in counter to advise staff to only check the luggage through to ADD?

Yes.

I had to do this before going NBO-ADD-LLW because my clothing was in the bag that was being checked in. They didn't make too much of an issue of it, but everyone kept asking why I had my luggage for a transit in ADD.

Thanks.

Thanks as well. And I guess there is no issue in re-checking the bag for the final leg?

No issue at all, just walk up to the check-in counter as usual. They may ask why it wasn't checked through, but explaining that you needed whatever was inside during the hotel stay is sufficient.

I'd advise against changing your seat at this point though since your original boarding pass has your only immigration stamp. We did this and thankfully the officer at exit immigration was ok with the explanation that the ET check-in counter took the original boarding pass since we changed seats. He just stamped an exit stamp in my partner's passport instead. I can imagine that they could make more of an issue though if they chose to since we didn't have visas.

Thank you. Will definitely hold on to our original bp.

I guess the only other thing that I've noticed are inconsistencies mentioned online as to whether or not we will need to pay for a transit visa. We are traveling in business class and our layover is 16 hours. It seems clear we will be offered the hotel and transfer back and forth from the airport. I'm just not quite sure about the transit visa.

Transit visa is included in the stopover package.

Indeed, it's not even a real visa per say. They don't put a full page sticker in your passport like a typical visa. Instead you'll take your hotel voucher and boarding passes to immigration, they will put entry stamps on your boarding passes and send you on your way. Then coming back to the airport you'll go though exit immigration and they'll put the exit stamps on your boarding passes. Nothing at all goes in your passport.

It's a really simple process. Don't go to the visa on arrival counter, just straight to the immigration booth with your voucher in hand. There is one line roped off for Cloud9 (Business Class) that you'll have access to, saving some time if the others are backed up.

This varies. I have about a dozen entry/exit stamps in my passport from the transit visas, but the rest of the time there is only a stamp on the boarding pass or a slip of paper that needs to be handed in at departure. Never seen a logic as to what they will do on a given day.

Interesting, will see what they do as I'll be using it again in a couple weeks myself. Actually I have a full multi-entry visa already though I doubt they will go looking for it if I'm on a transit voucher, but my partner does not and will see if they stamp her passport or not. Actually she wants stamps for souvenirs, lol. She was disappointed when I told her Ethiopia doesn't stamp for transit, so sounds like she could get a pleasant surprise. I'd prefer they didn't stamp as I am far more limited on remaining space before offering this passport early retirement.

Does ET gives a better hotel for *A Gold holders? Or does only the class of travel matter for getting into the Hilton.

Class of travel is the only way to pretty much guarantee the Hilton.

The only benefit *G has is the priority lines to pick up the voucher and go through immigration. Which can easily save you an hour at the worst times.

I am guessing/hoping business class customers will also have access to the priority lanes?

Yes. Cloud Nine pax, ShebaMiles Elite and Star Gold.

Just used this twice in the past week. For the OP I'd request your vouchers at the departure airport rather than wait until you get to ADD. Sometimes the queues at the transit counter can be long and they have a bad habit of not paying attention to the Clould 9 lane which is supposed to receive priority.

I could only get the Hilton from the staff at Narita (*G in Economy), but the contract staff who handle ET flights here are totally incompetent (multiple mistakes, not only this), so they put the wrong dates on our vouchers and didn't stamp them. Immigration in ADD wouldn't accept them and sent us back to the transit counter. At this point, ET staff took the Hilton away from me and put us in the Friendship International Hotel (it was perfectly fine but not the Hilton). I argued about it for a good 5 minutes to no avail. Really pissed me off that they took my Hilton voucher away. In hindsight I shouldn't have given it to them because I actually have an Ethiopian visa so didn't need the transit visa package, just a hotel voucher. My partner needed a valid voucher though for the transit visa and I stupidly gave the staff both vouchers together.

On the return I got the vouchers in Cairo but didn't request the Hilton since the Cairo staff initially said they didn't have our vouchers pre-printed and would have to get them in ADD. The check in agent surprised me at the gate when he handed them to us. This time it was the Empire Addis International Hotel. Again, the hotel was fine, but it's not on the main street, you drive back a dirt (mud) road around a block to get to it. Fine in a car, but a problem later when walking out to do anything.


As for passport stamps, this time they did put stamps in our passports. The first day it was both entry and exit. The following week it was entry stamp only, and no exit stamp.

I'll be getting the free hotel on a layover next week. I'm hoping not to have to withdraw any Ethiopian currency. The only thing I'm worried about is tipping. Would I be expected to tip the bus driver to the hotel?

There is absolutely no need to tip the shuttle driver (this is not common outside of the USA) and it is possible to get by without any cash while using the transit hotel (as the vouchers include meals), but you may want to have some small denomination dollar bills to pay for drinks etc.

For anyone who has taken advantage of the hotel program, a couple of questions. Our itinerary is ET Flt 848, JNB-ADD (arrival 6:00am), then departing ET Flt 504 ADD-DUB-LAX. Travelling in Cloud 9 business class.

+ Assuming a 6:00am arrival at ADD, approximately what time should we expect to be delivered at the hotel?

+ By what time do we need to be back at the airport for the continuing flight?

ET's website says that passengers to the USA must be present at the airport 3 hours before departure, but I was wondering since our flight has a stop at DUB first, would this still apply?

Asking these questions because we are planning some touring while on this 16 hour layover.

Traveling in Cloud Nine, you should be allocated the Hilton so expect to be at the hotel no later than 730am if the flight is on time, but more likely closer to 645am depending on the lines and traffic.

On the return, you will be advised your pickup time. Non-negotiable. The bus will be there and they will harass the life out of you till you show up in the lobby and board it. It will probably be departing the Hilton around 3 hours prior to departure. Traffic in the evenings can be a bit more so that will give you about an hour in the lounge before you need to board.

Thanks very much for this response, and for your other responses as well. Much appreciated.

I was contemplating a situation where a local tour operator would pick me up at the hotel around midday, and then drop me off at the airport after touring and dinner. Is that an option if I make it clear to the shuttle staff in advance?

Yes, if you are already out of the hotel not much they can do to bother you! Just make sure you have your onward boarding passes already in hand.

Do you think € is also accepted?

The only problem with Euro is that the smallest paper note you have is 5€. I've seen many situations where exchange bureaus overseas will not accept coins, so Euro tips could end up being a mere souvenir for the average Ethiopian than something they can convert to Bir and spend. Dollar is more convenient for small denominations for that reason.