Kigali Serena Hotel

This hotel is a notable landmark in Kigali and Rwanda. I was really looking forward to staying here and paid around $250 for one night. I arrived around 15:00, which is well after the check-in time, and ended up waiting over 30 minutes for my room card. The Front Office staff was quite slow and kept asking when I had made my reservation. During the wait, nothing was offered—not even a glass of water. Finally, after 30 minutes, I got my room card, only to find the room was dirty and not the one I had booked. Frustrated, I went back down with the porter, Steven, who was the only friendly face I encountered, and he helped me get a bigger room. The way the situation was handled was not very professional. We had dinner at the hotel’s buffet, which was decent, but I expected at least a complimentary or discounted meal as an apology for the inconvenience. The pool area is beautiful, but the rooms are in need of some maintenance. I regret that my stay was unpleasant, and I hope the hotel can address these issues and provide better training for the Front Office staff.

Our stay at the Kigali Serena Hotel was fantastic. Both dinner and the breakfast buffet at the restaurant were excellent. The accommodations were spacious and comfortable. The team provided wonderful service and we loved the surprise rose petals in our room for our honeymoon. Having access to the pool and spa facilities was a great bonus after long overseas travel. Would highly recommend!

For a hotel charging £200 per night, the room was dismal. From a misaligned toilet seat to broken cupboard handles, dirty kettle, bed head and carpet, this was disappointing. Although staff were charming, it took ages to get anything fixed- getting a kettle took two hours! Kigali is fast becoming a tourist destination- it’s a lovely country with very friendly people but this hotel was a let down. For our conference, we had to move to another hotel because the internet did not work.

We have been visiting Rwanda for over a decade and despite all the new hotels that have come up, we have always stayed at the Serena Hotel. The hotel has great dining, spa , pool and an excellent facility for hosting events. Strongly recommend the hotel.

The crew were very good, the room was very good, as was the restaurant. However, another colleague and I ended up being overcharged. I've sent 3 emails to hotel staff asking for an explanation / refund of the extra charge, and no one has cared to respond. I've been waiting for over a month for a response, and I've included several emails of staff without any response. The amount wasn't trivial and it seemed to indicate an extra night stay that I was only able to identify based on my calculations.

This is a pretty and comfortable hotel in a nice location. The room is large and pleasant. The staff is kind and accommodating and grateful that you are visiting Rwanda. While we were there, a pianist was performing near the lobby, which was quite lovely.