Hôtel des Mille Collines

Coordinates: 1°56′49″S 30°03′43″E / 1.9469°S 30.0619°E

The front of the hotel

The Hôtel des Mille Collines is a large hotel in Kigali, Rwanda. It became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the Rwandan Genocide of 1994. The story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was used as the basis of the film Hotel Rwanda.

History

The Belgian airline Sabena owned the hotel during the Genocide. According to the film, Rusesabagina bribed the Interahamwe militia with money and alcohol to keep them from killing the refugees in the hotel, and to obtain food and water. The United Nations mission, foreign governments, and the Rwandan Patriotic Front exerted pressure on the Rwandan government forces to ensure the safety of those trapped in the complex.

The four-star hotel continues to operate. It has 112 rooms, a bar, a café, three conference rooms, a restaurant, a swimming pool, and tennis courts.[1][2]

In 2005, Sabena sold the Hôtel des Mille Collines to Mikcor Hotels Rwanda.[3]

In July 2014, Kempinski Hotels took over management of the hotel, which is now known as the Hôtel des Mille Collines by Kempinski.[4]

The hotel does not actually appear in the film Hotel Rwanda, which was largely shot in South Africa. The hotel does however appear in the 2005 HBO film Sometimes in April and the 2007 Canadian film Shake Hands with the Devil, which were shot on location in Rwanda. It also appears in "The State of Oklahoma".

Ownership

MIKCOR Hotel Holding has taken over Hotel des Mille Collines from SABENA Hotels for USD $3.2million (approx. RWF 1.8 billion), according to the contract that was signed on August 10, 2005.[5][6]

Miko Rwayitare, the Managing Director of the MIKCOR group, said during the handover held at the hotel on Thursday 16, that the group now owns 89% of the Hotel with 8.5% and 2.5% owned by Rwanda Development Bank (BRD) and the government of Rwanda, respectively. Rwayitare is also the Executive Chairman of Telecel International, a communications company.[7] In July 2014, Mickor Investment Holdings Ltd turned management of the hotel over to Kempinski.[8] The hotel has since been renamed the Hôtel des Mille Collines by Kempinski.

References

External links