Holiday Inn Algiers Cheraga Tower

Rooms and decor

Picture waking up, pulling the curtain, and seeing the Mediterranean stretch blue to the horizon — or, on the other side, the cool green sprawl of Dounia Park. That's what the Holiday Inn Algiers Cheraga Tower trades on as the 105-metre, 25-floor tower that holds the title of tallest building in the Algerian capital. It opened in 2018 under IHG's well-known Holiday Inn brand, and all 242 rooms and suites run a clean, international-modern look — warm earth tones, brown wood, soft grey accents. Open the door and you get more floor space than the typical four-star in this city, a soft bed, good linens and a bright stone-tiled bathroom with a rain shower. Some rooms, especially the upper-floor suites, add a balcony for catching the sea breeze in the evening. The point reviewers keep coming back to is how clean it is — no musty smell, fresh towels, the bed made tight every time. Familiar, reliable IHG.

Food and amenities

What sets this place apart from other four-star towers in Algiers is the sheer breadth of what's on site. The pools come in two flavours — an indoor one open all year for cooler or windy nights, and an outdoor one with a wood deck for summer sunbathing. The Jasm'Inn spa, named for the North African jasmine flower, has treatment rooms for massage and scrubs plus a sauna and an Arab-style hammam, the local ritual many in the region keep up at least once a week. The 24-hour gym is there for anyone who refuses to break their routine. The main restaurant serves international plates alongside Algerian staples like couscous and tagine, and the buffet breakfast spreads European, Middle Eastern and homegrown sweets such as mhencha and makroud. Up top there's a rooftop bar for a sundown drink over the sea, plus a sizeable ballroom and meeting rooms that handle city-scale conferences.

Location and getting there

The address is the other big selling point. The hotel sits in Cheraga on the western edge of Algiers, the capital's fastest-growing business and residential district, right on the Autoroute Est-Ouest. That makes getting around quick — Houari Boumediene international airport is about 30 minutes in clear traffic, the Mediterranean beach just 10, and the hilltop church of Notre-Dame d'Afrique, looking down over the Bay of Algiers, around 25. The Casbah — the UNESCO-listed old town of white-stone alleys and ancient houses — is roughly 30 minutes off. The draw is easy access in every direction paired with surroundings that feel new, clean and calmer than the heart of the old city, which suits business travelers with meetings in Cheraga and families who want space, full facilities and no narrow lanes to navigate with small kids.

Things to know before booking

The most common gripe is the distance from the old town. If you came to Algiers to walk the Casbah's stone alleys every day, plan ahead — the 30-minute round trip in city traffic adds up fast, and several reviews suggest hiring a car and driver by the day. The second is the area itself, built for cars rather than people: step outside and you'll meet wide roads, office blocks and new malls, not the old markets or roadside cafes some expect from a Mediterranean city. A few guests note the breakfast repeats the same dishes over a multi-night stay, and the in-house restaurants run two to three times the price of places outside — normal for a big brand, but worth knowing. And communication leans French first, then English and Arabic, so if neither French nor Arabic is your language, expect to reach for Google Translate now and then.

Our take

After reading through hundreds of real reviews on Agoda, Booking and TripAdvisor, the Holiday Inn Algiers Cheraga Tower is the pick for travelers who want a low-stress stay in a city where international-standard hotels are still thin on the ground. It leans on being the tallest building in the capital, the views over Dounia Park and the Mediterranean, resort-grade facilities in town, and a dependable IHG standard. If your trip is meetings in the western business district, an evening swim and a spa session after work, or introducing the family to North Africa without wrestling a chaotic old town, this is the most sensible choice. If your dream is waking up among the white-stone alleys of the Casbah, you'll have to weigh that 30-minute gap. Overall we give it 8.0/10 — best for business travelers and families who value comfort and a reliable international standard over staying in the capital's historic core.