Serena, Hotel Group Tourism Promotion Services (TPS) due to open the modern Kampala Serena Hotel mid this year, has reported a pre-tax profit increase of 43 per cent for the year ending December 31, 2005.

Serena a brand name for TPS is a major refurbishment of the Mombasa Serena Beach Hotel and Amboseli Serena Safari Lodge in Kenya. In a statement released to the press on March 2, the group announced pre-tax profits had increased from KShs197.5 million (Shs5 billion) in 2004 to KShs282.4 million (Shs7.1 billion). Profit after tax also increased by 47 percent from KShs130.5 million (Shs3.3 billion) to KShs191.9 million (Shs4.8 billion).
On the other hand, Turnover rose 18 percent from KShs1.7 billion (Shs43 billion to nearly KShs2 billion (Shs50.6 billion).

TPS Chairman Francis Okomo-Okello and Managing Director Mahmud Jan Mohamed said the tourism industry in Kenya had witnessed increased arrivals from both traditional and new source markets.
Mahmud attributed the good perfomance to the company’s continued investment that focuses on “pursuit of new business initiatives and in the training and development of its human resources.”

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda Hotel News

After a marathon reconstruction and restyling period of slightly more than a year, the former Nile Hotel International (NHI) will be reborn in July this year, with a new name, Kampala Serena Hotel that promises to have the best facilities in the East Africa region

When completed, the hotel, which is expected to suck in $30 million, will feature 152 rooms, extensive gardens, three restaurants, two bars, a spa, a mega health club, a super-designed business centre, a helipad and a conference centre with a seating capacity of 1,000 delegates.

During a tour of the facility by Prince Amyn Agha Khan and four ministers yesterday, the Managing Director of Serena Hotels, Mr Mahmud Jan Mohamed, said the project was on course and would beat the deadline of July.
Aga Khan and the ministers-Mr Daudi Migereko (tourism and industry), Ms Syda Bbumba(Energy), Mr Peter Kasenene (Privatisation) and Mr Okello Oryem (Foreign Affairs) were guided around for about an hour, inspecting the progress of the work done.

The government’s keen interest is to ensure the project is completed in time for the Commonwealth Heads of Sate meeting to be hosted by Kampala in mid 2007. The biennial meeting, which is usually opened by the queen of England, attracts thousands of guests and several international press personnel.

“We are soon finishing the hardware (buildings) and then we’ll install the best software around (personnel and general standards of customer care); once we are done, this will be the finest hotel in the region,” Mohamed said.
Currently, management is executing the recruitment exercise: a total of 20,000 applications were received for 400 jobs. That number has already been winnowed down through short listing to 1,200 and interviews are ongoing which will further reduce it to the required 400.

The hotel will have 108 deluxe rooms, 32 executive rooms, three business suites and one presidential suite. A room will, in additional to standard facilities, have a mini bar and wireless Internet access via a TV monitor.
“A guest can check his or her mail while watching TV. We’ve provided a direct telephone line, so a person can call anywhere. We have generally configured it to meet all the needs of a working business person,” Mohamed said.
With an exotic architecture, the hotel’s exterior has been designed to reflect the country’s typical scenery and distinctive ecological features with a special focus on the abundance of lakes and rivers.

It has a split-level lobby that centres on a waterfall, which plunges from its source on the first floor down through the lobby, and out into an ornamental lake. Beyond the lake, a 7-metre wide waterfall cascades over a sculptured rock face and down into the swimming pool complex below.

Serena Hotel Group acquired Nile Hotel International in January 2004 for a 30-year lease on condition that it invests a minimum of $15 million in upgrading. The government was paid $1.2 million. NHI was founded 1975 by the government of Uganda with 85 rooms and an adjacent conference centre.

Uganda Hotel news

AS preparations for the 2007 Commonwealth summit (CHOGM) intensify, the newly-established Forest Cottages on Naguru hill, Kampala, will inject $1m (sh1.8b) in expansion.

The managing director of Kisozi Group, Kasim Kisozi, said they were going to put up five new modern presidential suites, five new main and mini-conference halls with 500-1,000 sitting capacity and 30 new cottages.

These will accommodate the commonwealth delegates and will offer the needed services to the guests.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda hotel news

TWO Sudanese brothers are to build a $90m (about sh164b) five-star Hotel at the current plot of the Uganda Broadcasting Corporation Television, former UTV, in Nakasero, Kampala.
The Mohamed Brothers, under the AYA Investments (U) Ltd., met the president of Uganda President Museveni at State House, Nakasero .
In a statement, State House said Mohamed Hamid, the executive chairman, said the project should commence in the middle of April 2006. It is anticipated to employ about 850 Ugandans.
Dr. Maggie Kigozi, the Uganda Investment Authority’s chief, who attended the brothers’ meeting with the President, said the hotel should be ready for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Kampala next year.
Kigozi said that up to 10-acres of land will be required for the hotel .

Kigozi said the project was a long-term investment that would cater for the rising numbers of tourists the forth coming common wealth summit being a one-off
She supplemented that she is very excited that world airlines are responding well which is an exciting time for the tourism sector in Uganda.
She said British Airways had increased their flights to Entebbe Airport, while the South African, Emirates and KLM airlines now have direct flights to Entebbe.
The Commonwealth meeting has given rise to enormous developments in the hotel industry .

BY Tanah Hadijah

Saudi billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin AbdulAziz Alsaud who is supposed to build a five- star hotel at the 14-acre plot on Nile Avenue will not pay for the property. The prince will not pay for the relocation of tenants currently occupying the property, who include Shimoni Demonstration School and Shimoni Teacher’s College.

Reports quoting a memorandum of understanding between the Government and Kingdom Holdings say the investor “will not be expected to pay any compensation in any way for the tenants on site.”

However, the officials had earlier said that the tenants would be relocated to Lugogo by-pass at the investor’s cost. It is estimated that the Government will need over sh14b to meet conditions of the deal and relocate the two schools.

The investor also demanded for omission of taxes, fees, charges and import duties on all material and equipment used in the design, construction and operation of the hotel. Other demands include removal by the Government of all legal and illegal tenants from the property and delivering the site to the investor within six months from the date of signing the document.

Investment state minister Semakula Kiwanuka however declined to comment on whether the Saudi investor would pay for relocation costs but said the Government was happy with the deal. “The proposed incentives are okay. As a country, we are competing for investors so we have to make the country attractive for investments,” he said.

Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin AbdulAziz Alsaud is the world’s fifth richest man, and owns Kingdom Holdings Company.

By Kisibo Jackie
Uganda hotel News