KIGALI, RWANDA - Rwanda's hospitality sector closed 2011 and ushered into 2012 with good news after the long-awaited grading for accommodation facilities finally arrived with only 30 hotels receiving their stars.
Kigali Serena Hotel and Nyungwe Forest Lodge, a new facility in western Rwanda owned by Dubai World were crowned 'the only existing five star hotels in Rwanda.'
In other categories, four hotels received 'four star' title while seven hotels were graded in the 'three start' category, 16 hotels in 'two star' and one hotel in 'one star' category.
Out of 30 hotels that were assessed and graded, 18 are in Kigali City. Musanze and Rubavu districts in northwestern Rwanda came second after Kigali to have more upscale hotels.
Hotel owners and managers welcomed the exercise saying it encourages them to do even better but they requested the Central Bank to make access to finance more easier in order to facilitate them get loans to invest in renovation and expansion of their businesses.
The grading system used in Rwanda is based on the East African standards and the same grading system has been used in Tanzania and will be used in Uganda, Kenya, and Burundi, which have not graded their hotels using the regional system. Rwanda became the second member country of the East African Community (EAC) after Tanzania to grade its accommodation facilities.
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