Serena Hotel and Nyungwe Forest Lodge top Rwanda’s hotels

(eTN) – The Kigali Serena was the first to receive the coveted 5-star rating for any Kigali business and city hotel, following an exhaustive and extensive grading and classification exercise conducted

(eTN) – The Kigali Serena was the first to receive the coveted 5-star rating for any Kigali business and city hotel, following an exhaustive and extensive grading and classification exercise conducted by the Rwanda Development Boardโ€™s Tourism and Conservation Department. The award ceremony, in fact held at the Kigali Serena Conference Centre, also awarded the Lake Kivu Serena a 4-star rating, a lake-side resort only recently visited by this correspondent, giving the Rwandan properties of Serena top honors in their respective categories.

Also receiving a 5-star rating was the Nyungwe Forest Lodge, another property visited and written about here and on TripAdvisor during the year 2011, and again fully deserved. This lodge is located in the midst of a tea plantation right at the edge of the Nyungwe Forest National Park, the proverbial “enchanted forest,” in the humble opinion of this author.

Other hotels in Kigali received 4 stars, notably the Mille des Collines, a long-time crowd favorite with arguably the best and largest croissants in Kigali for breakfast, while Hotels Lemigo and Manor also scooped 4 stars each. Eight hotels and resorts were awarded the still very respectable 3-star status, while a further 16 establishments attained a 2-star rating. Only one property, the Gorilla Hotel in Ruhengeri, Musanze, got a 1-star rating.

The awards were handed over by the Rwandan Minister for East African Community Affairs, the Hon. Mrs. Monique Mukaruliza, in the presence of the RDB Chief Executive, John Gara, and Ms. Rica Rwigamba, Head of Tourism and Conservation within the Rwanda Development Board. The plaque for the Serena properties were received by Mr. Charles Muia, Country Manager for Serena Hotels and General Manager for the Kigali Serena.

Warmest congratulations to the winners, the participants, and those who attained a star rating.

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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