Serena Hotels expand into Rwanda

Serena Hotels has signed a 30-year Concession to take over two Rwandan Hotels, namely the Kigali InterContinental Hotel and Kivu Sun Hotel on 1st February 2007. They will be relaunched following an extensive refurbishment as the Kigali Serena Hotel and Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.

Serena Hotels is due to take over the operations of Kigali InterContinental Hotel and Kivu Sun Hotel on 1st February 2007. The hotel group has entered into a long term lease agreement with the Government of Rwanda for the operation of the two hotels. The agreement was signed in Kigali on Tuesday 9th January 2007 by the Finance and Economic Planning Minister James Musoni and Serena Hotels Managing Director, Mahmud Jan Mohamed in the presence of Prime Holdings Chairman, John Mirenge.

The Kigali InterContinental, a 104-room five-star hotel based in the heart of the country’s capital will be renamed Kigali Serena Hotel. Planned capital investment of US$ 9.5 million outlined in the concession agreement includes construction of 50 additional guest bedrooms, a modern health and fitness centre and general upgrade of the hotel facilities.

The 72-room four-star Kivu Sun Hotel located on the shores of Lake Kivu close of the border with Democratic Republic of Congo, is to be developed into a top quality spa facility maximizing its scenic lake side location and will be known as Lake Kivu Serena Hotel.

The decision to lease the two hotels to Serena Hotels was unanimously endorsed by the Cabinet in October 2006 following successful negotiations between Prime Holdings and Serena Hotels.

Mr. Jan Mohamed said that he was happy that the hotel group was starting operations in Rwanda which is now a member of the East African Community. Commenting on the potential of the two hotels, Mr. Jan Mohamed said that he had no doubt that they would be on the same footing as other Serena properties in the region. “Serena Hotels is committed to offering a quality product to our clients, exciting careers for our staff, and satisfactory returns to our shareholders. We are responsible hotel operators who care for the physical, social and economic environment of the areas in which we operate”, said Mr. Jan Mohamed.

As part of its philosophy Serena Hotels will actively seek to expand its operations in Rwanda through acquisition of existing properties or new developments. Mr. Jan Mohamed said that Serena Hotels would be a catalyst for increased investment in the industry as he was confident that traditional partners of the hotel group would continue to partner with Serena in its new locations. Musoni said that the government’s decision to have Serena Group of Hotels invest in the country had positive implications on Rwanda’s tourism and hotel industries.

The two hotels are the latest addition to the Serena Group of Hotels, owned and operated by Tourism Promotion Services (TPS), an arm of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED). The hotels will benefit from the Group’s regional presence. Serena Hotels in Africa has expanded from four units in the early 1970s, in Kenya, to a total of 19 properties in Africa, covering Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mozambique, Uganda and now Rwanda. Serena also owns and manages properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan as part of its mandate to contribute to economic growth in an environmentally and culturally sensitive manner.

For more information, visit serenahotels.com.