Preparing for the Future: the Remarkable Hôtel des Mille Collines

The Hôtel des Mille Collines has established itself as the long-term leader of the Hotel market in Kigali, Rwanda. It focuses mainly on business tourism, but it is also an excellent choice for leisure travellers. Guests come predominantly from North America, Western Europe, neighbouring countries and South Africa. The Government of Rwanda is also among the major clients, with the workshops, seminars and conferences of its agencies accounting for around 30% of the overall business. As Denis Wollner, General Manager, points out, “When looking at Hôtel des Mille Collines, you could say we are a “Downtown Resort”, where people really get an opportunity to relax in a resort atmosphere, while located in the centre of Kigali.”

Competition increased with the opening of three new hotels by some major hotel chains, following the fact that the increasing number of events in Kigali has led to shortages in hotel accommodation. However, the owners and management of the Hôtel des Mille Collines are confident that they will remain at the top of the hotel market in Kigali through their business strategy focused mainly upon extensive renovation of existing facilities, training, innovation and quality.

Refurbishment and renovation – a strategy for remaining at the top

Refurbishment and renovation work on the Hôtel des Mille Collines will begin by Mid-2017 and will consist of three phases. Each phase is expected to last six months.

Improvements will include full re-design of guest rooms, corridors and public areas. Proposals for the renewal of guest rooms are currently being reviewed by the Hotel management, which is seeking a design with a distinctive African influence. The Hotel presently has 112 rooms, including eight suites. The demand for suites is high and the Hotel’s management is considering building new suites by reutilising existing floor space. Additionally, guest experience will be enhanced by upgrading Wi-Fi and television service and video on command offerings. The hotel’s management has also outlined plans for improving the current banqueting options and meeting rooms.

One of the biggest challenges of running the Hôtel des Mille Collines is finding skilled staff. On-going staff training is an important priority for the Hotel’s management, whose aim is achieving a consistently high quality service. The success of their training programs is reflected in the competing establishments’ efforts to hire employees of Hôtel des Mille Collines. As Denis Wollner points out “More practical education is needed to better support the hotel market with appropriately qualified labour force. The vocational training already on offer in Rwanda provides general skills, although there is a need for further improvement.”

Remarkable Rwanda, Remarkable Hospitality

The increasingly competitive hotel market has inspired innovation at the Hôtel des Mille Collines in its dedication to maintain and grow its market share. This has resulted in various initiatives such as the “prestige loyalty program”, which is offered to the top local clients. Additionally, the hotel has begun to offer incentivised packages to long-staying and returning corporate guests. The Executive Chef has reinvented the menus and has developed new dishes and recipes for all the popular restaurants of the hotel. The concept of the executive lunch, which carries the service pledge of a three-course lunch served within fifteen minutes, has attracted many businessmen from the surrounding Central Business District of Kigali. Theme nights and live entertainment, along with the Legacy lounge Bar, have made Hôtel des Mille Collines a recognizable and respected establishment both among local as well as international guests.

Advertising plays an important role in promoting the services offered by the hotel, and the hotel’s management is constantly working on improving the visibility of their already well-established brand. The newest approach to increasing the hotel’s brand is through road-shows, which we showcase the best of what the Hotel has to offer to executives in East Africa and Europe. On international level, the hotel’s management team participates at international tourism conferences in order to promote Rwanda and the Hôtel des Mille Collines as tourist destinations.

Denis Wollner emphasizes, “Promotion of Rwanda and the Hotel to international audiences is important, because Europeans are largely unaware of what the country has to offer. A lack of information upon the progress made by the country over the last twenty years has left many people with misconceptions that need to be corrected. Rwanda offers a great quality of life: it is safe, clean and committed to restoring and preserving its natural environment.”

“The Hôtel des Mille Collines slogan is “Remarkable Rwanda, Remarkable Hospitality”, a promise of an experience among the best that Rwanda has to offer”, Denis Wollner points out.