The Monitor (Kampala)
July 25, 2006
Posted to the web July 25, 2006
By: Peter Nyanzi
RUNNING against time for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting next year is probably the closest target for the hotel industry now.
But come July 31, Kampala Serena Hotel, located right in the heart of the city, will open its gates to the public about 15 months ahead of the Chogm.
It has been a hectic 17 months of intensive reconstruction and restyling of the golden yellow facility, formerly the Nile Hotel.
According to the Managing Director of Serena Hotels, Mr Mahmud Jan Mohamed, the hotel will open for public use at the end of this month but will await the official opening by President Yoweri Museveni and His Highness the Aga Khan at the end of the year.
Having been to several hotels in the country over the past decade, Mohamed says he is aware of claims by some hoteliers that their hotels are five star.
"Well, we are here to redefine the concept of the five star," he says with a cheeky grin, as he takes Business Power on a guided tour of the facility.
"Without any doubt we have exceeded all the commitments that we had made. To put up such a facility in a period of 17 months is a great achievement."
Indeed, the $41 million (about Shs74 billion) facility is an inspiring blend of five star sparkle and Ugandan cultural and traditional flair. A splendid array of symbols of Uganda's flora and fauna plus art works by the finest local artists adorns the every wall.
Serena enters a market that is in a boom. With Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (Chogm) just over a year away, more and more hotels are coming up of course in addition to the existing ones, some of which are also being expanded.
Competition
Is Serena afraid of the competition? "No," says Mohamed.
"In Nairobi we compete with five or six five star hotels but still we are the market leaders. Our philosophy is very simple - we have an excellent physical product but above all we have great staff and they are our most important aspect. That is how we have outperformed our competitors elsewhere. It is through our staff. I promise you that it is going to be our biggest strength."
Mohamed says Serena "welcomes competition" because ultimately it is the customers who gain from it. "We have no problem with it. We will match our competitors if not out perform them like we have done elsewhere," he says.
As workers put final touches to the 152-room world-class hotel, evidence is there that it is a showcase of the cream of the diverse Ugandan cultural heritage.
"While our guests will enjoy the ultimate in personalised service, international cuisine, social style and business reliability, we do not want them to forget at any one time that they are in Uganda," says the General Manager, Mr Killian Lugwe.
The hotel is a new jewel in the crown of the acclaimed Serena hotel brand owned by AKFED and Tourism Promotion Services (TPS) both of which have tourist companies incorporated in Kenya, Tanzania and Pakistan.
According to Mohamed, the companies run top hotels and lodges in Kenya and Tanzania.
Running across the Serena Kampala Hotel is a water theme that touches on the lakes, rivers, fish, waterfalls, islands and bridges, which adorns the lobbies, business centres, rooms, and the interior and exterior décor.
All the rooms were exquisitely designed, as Mohamed puts it to enable guests "to have a good rest."
Challenges
Indeed, Mohamed says like other hotels owners, he is worried about noise pollution in the city, which he says is one the biggest challenges facing the hospitality sector.
"I am surprised that the concerned authorities are still unable to do any thing about it. It must be sorted out," he says. "We must remember that a hotel exists to sell sleep. That is our business. People book a hotel to rest, to sleep in peace."
The other problem is that of electricity. Though there is a stand by generator, Mohamed says the hotel the added expenses on power have "added greatly to the construction costs."
Lugwe says the bar and dining facilities were purposely made to be the finest and most inspirational in East Africa.