Appear in the dream of an empress! Built at the whim of Empress Taitu in 1907, and nearly burned down in 2015 (most of the rooms survived), this is the oldest hotel in Addis: the main building is virtually a museum piece full of beautiful old furniture and high ceilings. The rooms upstairs in the main building are large and easily the best.
The newer block contains a wide range of rooms, including some passable doubles. There are plenty of facilities, a lovely garden in which breakfast is served and an excellent restaurant. All up it offers a cash-strapped overlander a classy experience for very little coin.