Swiss International Hotels and Resorts is proud to announce the signing of a hotel management agreement with the owning company of the Villa Portofino hotel in Kigali.

As from March 1, the hotel will undergo re-branding and training initiatives for a period of 3 months. The new name of the hotel will be: Swiss International Villa Portofino Kigali.

Swiss International Villa Portofino Kigali is a 51 room upscale hotel located in the upscale Nyarutarama area of Kigali. The area is known for its proximity to all relevant Government offices, Diplomatic Missions NGO offices as well as residents of Gacuriro, Kagugu and Kibagabaga and also in close proximity of the new Convention Center of Kigali.

The Swiss International will offer besides the 51 oversized rooms and suites, a Swiss Café Restaurant & Lounge, a TED & Co Bar & Lounge, a large Eventives center for meetings and events and an Inspirations Pool & Gym. On the premises the hotel also offers a Spa for body treatments, sauna and massages.

The Chairman of the hotel Board of Directors stated: “we built the hotel with great enthusiasm and vision. It was only 15 months ago that the hotel opened and we had an encouraging first year of operations. Now, with the increased hotel supply in the city it was time to hand over the management to an international company, introducing international hospitality values to the market and the hotel itself. Rwanda, being the Switzerland of Africa with its thousand hills, lends itself of course to an association with an international Swiss hotel brand. That’s why we have chosen Swiss International as our hotel management and brand partner to enter the next episode of the hotel. As Swiss International Villa Portofino – Kigali, we are looking forward to the future with charm and determination”.

Mr. Henri W.R. Kennedie, Chairman and CEO of Swiss International commented: “Rwanda and its capital Kigali are experiencing a serious boom in its development over the last couple of years. For over 5 years the country is experiencing over 7% annual GDP growths. With its unique cleanliness, security and charm of Rwandans, the country has earmarked the conference and meeting business as a key growth generator for the city and the country, and the combination of hard work, discipline and support the country is receiving from her partners are all contributing to a superb economic development. A solid hotel sector with quality brands is necessary for the growth to continue for the coming decennia.

When we were introduced to the opportunity to commence operating the Villa Portofino, as the Swiss International Villa Portofino, we did not have to think too long. The Management Team, under the guidance of our hotel Manager Rakesh Hurrychurn, will introduce our restaurant-, meeting- and leisure concepts into the hotel within the next 2 months.”

Having been operating over 30 hotels in Europe, Great China and the Middle East, the arrival of Swiss International in Rwanda, earmarks Swiss International’s commitment to Africa. The chain is already represented in Nigeria with 2 hotels and in Sierra Leone with one hotel. Rwanda is the 3rd African country for Swiss International to be represented in, and it is moving on in Kenya with two 5 Star level hotels coming on board.

Swiss International plans to become a leading brand in Africa. For this reason Swiss International has recently moved its Service center to Ras Al Khaimah, UAE. The availability of the company’s 4 brands; Royal Swiss (Luxury), Swiss International (Upscale), Swiss International The Residences (Upscale) and Swiss Spirit (Mid-market) and its associated concepts will make it possible to reach the company expansion objective of having 150 hotels by the year 2020 globally.

Source: http://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/global/154000320/4074666.html