Carlson Rezidor opens US $300m Rwanda hotel

Valued at more than US $300 million, the five-star Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda has opened, with 292 rooms and conference facilities that can host more than 5,000 people.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group senior vice president business development Andrew McLachlan said: "We are delighted to open this landmark hotel and convention centre under the Radisson Blu brand. This new opening in Rwanda further strengthens our position in the East African economic community and on the African continent.

"Africa is our biggest growth market where, on average, we have signed a new hotel every 37 days and opened a new hotel every 60 days."

He continued to say that Radisson Blu is Africa’s fastest growing brand with the largest pipeline of hotel rooms under development on the continent.

The project is owned by UCL, a joint venture co-owned by the government of Rwanda through the Rwanda Social Security Board (RSSB) and Prime Holdings Ltd as well as private investors, including Crystal Ventures Ltd and Rwanda Investment Group (RIG).

The Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali features two on-site restaurants, serving continental and Rwandan cuisine as well as the 'Super Breakfast Buffet'; six food and beverage outlets, including The Lobby Bar & Lounge; 650 parking bays for guests; a fitness centre; an outdoor swimming pool; boutique retail shops; and a spa by Amani.

The adjacent Convention Centre will have a net floor area of 53,000m². The property hosted African heads of state at Rwanda's first African Union Summit this month, and will host Africa’s largest hotel investment conference (AHIF) in October 2016.

Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali general manager Denis J. Dernault, said: “This landmark [the convention centre] comprising 18 meeting rooms of varying sizes, including an auditorium that can accommodate up to 2,600 delegates, will showcase Kigali as a formidable international events destination in Africa.”