KEMPINSKI TAKES OVER ‘HOTEL FLEUVE CONGO’ IN KINSHASA
(Posted 04th August 2014)
Kempinski’s expansion drive in Africa remains on course with the addition of their latest property, the ‘Kempinksi Hotel Fleuve Congo’ in the capital of the Congo DR, Kinshasa.
Kempinski took over the management contract for the hotel on 01st of August following the signing of an eleven-year management agreement earlier this year.
Named after Africa’s largest river is the hotel located near its banks in the heart of the embassy district in the Commune of Gombe. The hotel’s 22 floors offer elevated views over the Congo River, and the capital cities of Kinshasa and neighbouring Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, the latter of which is situated on opposite side of the river. The tallest building in the Gombe area, the property was originally designed for offices and was beautifully transformed into a 5 star luxury hotel in 2012.
The hotel’s 237 rooms – including 42 suites, can now be booked via the company website www.kempinski.com or through all of Kempinski’s sites on the leading global CRS’. Three specialty restaurants, four bars, and five meeting and events rooms, including an auditorium with seating for 250 attendees, provide ample space for entertaining large groups and conferences. Leisure facilities include two floodlit outdoor tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, a fitness centre, and billiard and snooker rooms. The extensive landscaped grounds provide a welcome respite from the busy city life of Africa’s third-largest city, and a full-service spa is being designed for the hotel to offer all the superior services guests come to expect when booking into a Kempinski property.
The hotel is ideal located for business travellers and groups looking for five-star luxury in close proximity to the country’s principal governing bodies, diplomatic and media organizations and international corporations located in the posh Gombe area. With a range of leisure facilities available at the hotel and Kinshasa’s 18-hole golf course a mere five minutes away, Kempinski Hotel Fleuve Congo is also ideal for Kinshasa residents looking for a place to relax and enjoy tue five-star luxury.
Kempinski Hotels currently operates 74 hotels in 31 countries and has 40 hotels under development worldwide. President and CEO of Kempinski Hotels, Mr Reto Wittwer said that following the company’s successful expansion into the Middle East and China over the past twenty years, Kempinski expects its growing portfolio across the African continent to become a major source of revenue for the company, as well as provide new sources of talent and for further talent development across the company.
Speaking about the new management agreement Mr Wittwer stated: ‘Signing the agreement for the Kempinski Hotel Fleuve Congo was part of our plan for expansion in Africa over the next few years. By partnering with key players on the continent to secure the best locations for our luxury properties we will continue to be the pioneer of luxury hospitality in Sub-Saharan Africa. Our distinct brand of European luxury and operational know-how makes us a leader in all the markets we operate in, and we expect that our new property here in Kinshasa will be no different’.
On selecting Kempinski as the management company for his hotel, owner Mr. Mao Huai Cong was quoted to have said: ‘I chose to invest in Kinshasa because of the growth and economic potential I see in the country. I chose Kempinski Hotels to manage my hotel because of their reputation as leaders in the luxury hospitality sector. I expect Kempinski to put its management knowledge to work so that I can get a good return on my investment and to ensure that Kempinski Hotel Fleuve Congo is the top hotel in the DRC and known for its impeccable service’.
Meanwhile has Kempinksi last month also taken over the management of Kigali’s Grand Ol’ Dame of hospitality, the Des Mille Collines in the centre of the city, the European luxury hotel company’s ninth hotel operating on the continent, with three more hotels in Africa scheduled to open in the next six months.
The hotel, which opened in 1973, was made famous three decades later by the film ‘Hotel Rwanda’ as a place of refuge during the Rwandan genocide in 1994.
Plans are in place for a major refurbishment of the rooms, suites and restaurants over the next eighteen months to facilitate the full implementation of its signature services and standards while the staff will undergo additional training to get fully in tune with Kempinski’s corporate philosophy of uncompromising 5 star service.
Located atop a hill in the center of Kigali, the hotel features 112 rooms and suites, meeting and conference facilities including a large conference room for up to 300 people, an outdoor swimming pool, a recreation area and seven boutiques.
The name of the hotel translates as ‘hotel of a thousand hills’, after the lush, hilly landscape of Rwanda that can be seen from the property. Located at the heart of the central business district and a 15-minute drive from Kigali International Airport, Hôtel Des Mille Collines by Kempinski provides quick access to the upcoming Kigali Convention Centre, the Kigali Memorial Centre, and the popular Inema Art Centre. Ideal for business travellers visiting Rwanda during this period of unprecedented growth, as well as for leisure travellers staying pre or post their way to famous gorillas treks or while visiting the other national parks or the shores of Lake Kivu.
Commenting on the soft opening of Hôtel des Milles Collines by Kempinski, Christoph Strahm, General Manager, said, ‘This is definitely the right time to be in Rwanda. We experience here a perfect marriage between Hôtel Des Mille Collines, the first grand hotel to open in Rwanda forty years ago, and Kempinski, Europe’s oldest luxury hotel group. Kigali is a remarkable city. The people are warm and generous and we have a great team already in place ready to showcase the unique personality of Hôtel des Milles Collines by Kempinski. We are excited to bring our signature Kempinski service to this city and usher in a renaissance of hospitality in Kigali’.
Elsewhere in East Africa does Kempinski manage the Villa Rosa Kempinski in Nairobi and the Olare Mara Kempinski, a top rated luxury safari camp in the Olare Oruk Conservancy which adjoins the main game reserve.
