Rezidor announces the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali / Rwanda

The Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the fastest growing hotel groups worldwide, adds once again a new country to their portfolio: In Rwanda, the 62nd nation where the company is present, Rezidor announces the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali. The property featuring 292 rooms is scheduled to open in 2012. "This signing symbolizes the new optimism investors have in Rwanda, and further underlines our strong commitment to Africa - this emerging and promising continent is one of our key areas for future business development", comments Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of Rezidor.

Rezidor has numerous hotels under development in African capital and major cities. In 2010 alone, the group plans the openings of Radisson Blu hotels in Johannesburg and Cape Town (South Africa), Lagos (Nigeria), Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), Maputo (Mozambique) and Lusaka (Zambia).

The new Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda is a future landmark and part of a massive, mixed-use development in the Rwandan capital. Rezidor will oversee the hotel and convention centre. Besides 292 guest rooms, services will comprise 6 food and beverage outlets, a spa and fitness centre, an outdoor swimming pool, and boutique retail shops. The adjacent convention centre will have a net floor area of 32,000 square metres, which includes a multipurpose arena with a capacity of up to 2,600 delegates, 7 sub-divisible conference rooms and 10 smaller meeting rooms.

The project is ideally located between the city centre and Kigali International Airport. The surrounding area is one of the most popular areas of the capital and in proximity to key government offices including the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court and Parliament.

Rwanda has made considerable strides since the 1994 genocide, and per capita income has nearly tripled since the early 1990s. The combination of a political commitment to free market economics, an ambitious privatisation programme, and good governance, has attracted international investment in the country. The 2010 World Bank Doing Business survey ranked Rwanda as the "Top Reformer" in the world in 2009. In the long-term, Rwanda also offers tourism opportunities. "The Land of a Thousand Hills" and "Land of the Eternal Spring" boasts incredible biodiversity, wildlife, and natural beauty. It is one of the few places in the world where tourists can track the famous mountain gorillas.