SERENA HOTELS SET NEW WTA RECORD WITH 12 TROPHIES
(Posted 12th April 2016)
Last Saturday was a victorious night for Serena Hotels, East Africa’s leading hotel group, when the company took an unprecedented 12 trophies including the top award as Africa’s Leading Hotel Brand at the 2016 World Travel Awards held at Diamonds La Gemma dell’Est in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
Regarded as the “Oscars” of the travel industry according to the Wall Street Journal, the World Travel Awards acknowledge, reward and celebrate excellence across all sectors of the global tourism and travel industry. Serena took the honours in the following categories and for the properties listed below:
1.) Africa’s Leading Hotel Brand 2016: Serena Hotels
2.) Africa’s Leading Green Hotel 2016: Nairobi Serena Hotel, Kenya
3.) Kenya’s Leading Business Hotel 2016: Nairobi Serena Hotel
4.) Tanzania’s Leading Hotel 2016: Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel
5.) Tanzania’s Leading Hotel Suite 2016: Presidential Suite @ Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel
6.) Tanzania’s Leading Boutique Hotel 2016: Zanzibar Serena Hotel
7.) Zanzibar’s Leading Hotel 2016: Zanzibar Serena Hotel
8.) Uganda’s Leading Hotel 2016: Kampala Serena Hotel
9.) Uganda’s Leading Hotel Suite 2016: Presidential Suite @ Lake Victoria Serena Resort
10.) Rwanda’s Leading Hotel 2016: Kigali Serena Hotel
11.) Mozambique’s Leading Hotel 2016: The Polana Serena Hotel
12.) Mozambique’s Leading Hotel Suite 2016: Presidential Suite @ The Polana Serena Hotel
Serena Hotels received top recognition too for their committed green programme when their Nairobi Serena Hotel was named Africa’s Leading Green Hotel. This is the second time that the hotel has won this award, an acknowledgement of the hotel’s and the group’s continued commitment to sustainable business practices.
In Uganda, the Lake Victoria Serena Golf Resort and Spa won the award once again for Uganda’s Leading Presidential Suite and guests staying at the leading resort anywhere along the Lake Victoria shores can look forward to a whole new experience with the opening of its state of the art golf course facility , 9-hole soon to 18-hole with spectacular views of Lake Victoria. Sister property Kampala Serena also once again emerged as winner being named Uganda’s leading hotel.
In Tanzania, Serena Tanzania stands tall with 4 awards. The Dar es Salaam Serena Hotel was recognized as Tanzania’s Leading Business Hotel, besides the honor of having ‘Tanzania’s Leading Hotel Suite”. The Zanzibar Serena Hotel, in the UNESCO World Heritage Site Stone Town is ’Zanzibar‘s Leading Hotel’ and Tanzania’s ‘Leading Boutique Hotel’.
In Rwanda, for the 5th year in a row, has the Kigali Serena Hotel retained its top position as Rwanda’s Leading Hotel.
And finally in Mozambique, the Polana Serena Hotel, one of Maputo’s most majestic architectural gems, won two awards Mozambique’s Leading Hotel as well as Mozambique’s Leading Presidential Suite.
Nominated companies for the World Travel Awards are voted online by individuals and travel agents globally on issues such as customer relations, creativity, and quality of service, standards, guest satisfaction, product innovation and business acumen. The results are then inspected and reviewed by a group of industry experts. All votes are internally audited to ensure the validity of each individual vote.
Speaking after receiving the awards, Mr. Mahmud Janmohamed, the company’s long serving Managing Director said: ‘It is our staff who make it happen, their commitment to excellence is beyond doubt and management appreciates their continued efforts. We wish to thank all our esteemed clients, business partners and supporters for voting for us and for believing in us. We promise we shall continue to endeavor to lift the Serena Experience to greater heights‘.
The Serena Group portfolio of 24 Safari Camps, Safari Lodges, Hotels and Resorts are located in Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique, in some of the most evocative, exotic and enchanting destinations of the world. The Group also owns and operates eleven properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.
Serena takes pride in the level of personal care and warmth of welcome that they extend to their guests. Each Serena property is designed to complement its environment, while nurturing the landscape, culture and community that surrounds it.
The Serena Group leads the field in East Africa of eco-awareness and eco-policy implementation insisting upon eco-complementary architecture; the use of local materials, skills and labour; waste recycling; pollution-reduction and non-CFC use; solar and wind generation, low energy-use devices and heat recovery systems. The group also hosts a number of revolutionary tree planting and indigenous plant re-stocking projects; butterfly breeding; and turtle-protection projects.
