Kempinski Takes Over Kigali's Hotel Des Milles Collines

Kempinski Hotels officially took over the management of the historic Hôtel Des Milles Collines in Rwanda’s capital city of Kigali at the beginning of the month. The renamed Hôtel Des Milles Collines by Kempinski will be the European hotel company’s ninth hotel operating on the continent, with three more hotels in Africa scheduled to open in the next six months.

The hotel, which opened in 1973, was made famous three decades later by the film “Hotel Rwanda” as a place of refuge during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. The property is now officially part of the Kempinski network and is bookable online through Kempinski.com. Plans are in place for a major refurbishment to the rooms and restaurants over the next eighteen months to facilitate the full implementation of its signature services and standards.

Located atop a hill in the center of Kigali, the hotel has 112 rooms and suites; meeting and conference facilities including a   conference room for up to 300 people; and families can unwind at an outdoor swimming pool, a recreation area and seven boutiques.

Fun fact: The name of the hotel translates to ‘hotel of a thousand hills,’ and it is named after the hilly landscape of Rwanda that can be seen from the property. Located at the heart of the central business district and a 15-minute drive from Kigali International Airport, Hôtel Des Mille Collines by Kempinski provides quick access to the upcoming Kigali Convention Centre, the Kigali Memorial Centre and the popular Inema Art Centre. 

Rwanda is home to a third of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas, and visitors here can observe them in their natural habitat on the  slopes of the Volcanoes National Park, a two and a half hour drive from the hotel.

Akagera National Park, known for its “Big Three” and its variety of wildlife; Nyungwe National Park with its dense rain forest, 13 different types of primates and over 200 different tree species; and Lake Kivu, one of the African Great Lakes and one of the 20 deepest in the world, are all within a few hours’ drive from the hotel.

Commenting on the soft opening of Hôtel des Milles Collines by Kempinski, General Manager Christoph Strahm that this is "an ideal time" to open a hotel in Rwanda, and that the property would be the first "grand hotel" to open in the country since the original property opened 40 years ago. 

Kempinski Hotels currently operates 72 hotels in 30 countries and has more than 40 hotels under development worldwide.