Kampala Serena Hotel

The hotel is on Kintu Road on Nakasero Hill, in the centre of Kampala. The hotel is nestled among {{convert|17|acres|ha}} of lawns and gardens.{{cite web | url=http://www.akdn.org/press-release/president-museveni-and-aga-khan-inaugurate-kampala-serena-hotel | title=President Museveni and Aga Khan inaugurate Kampala Serena hotel | access-date=20 May 2016 | date=10 November 2006 | publisher=Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) | last=AKDN}} The hotel is adjacent to the Kampala Sheraton Hotel and the Imperial Royale Hotel. It is in the Kampala Central Division, one of the five administrative divisions of the city. The coordinates of the Kampala Serena Hotel are 0°19'08.0"N, 32°35'11.0"E (Latitude:0.318889; Longitude:32.586400).{{google maps | url=https://www.google.com/maps/place/0%C2%B019'08.0%22N+32%C2%B035'11.0%22E/@0.3207149,32.5901292,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0 | title=Location of Kampala Serena Hotel At Google Maps|access-date=4 July 2015}}

The hotel opened on 31 July 2006, after eighteen months of renovations and refurbishment at a cost of US$30.5 million.{{cite web | url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/508898 | title=Serena Hotel ready | publisher=New Vision | date=12 July 2012 | access-date=7 July 2014 | first=Emmy | last=Olaki | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714163604/http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/220/508898# | archive-date=2014-07-14 | url-status=dead }} The hotel is part of the Serena Hotels Group. It has 152 rooms, including thirteen suites, one of which is a presidential suite.{{cite web | title=The Kampala Serena Hotel | url=http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakampala/default-en.html | access-date=7 July 2014 | publisher=Serena Hotels | archive-date=18 December 2017 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218223953/http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakampala/default-en.html | url-status=dead }} During the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting 2007 in Kampala, the hotel hosted Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom for four nights.{{cite web | first=and Henry Mukasa | url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/598389 | title=Queen Elizabeth II Is Here | publisher=New Vision | access-date=7 July 2014 | date=21 November 2007 | last=Felix Osike, Alfred Wasike | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714231503/http://www.newvision.co.ug/D/8/12/598389# | archive-date=2014-07-14 | url-status=dead }}

The hotel has its own helipad for easy transport between the hotel and Entebbe International Airport. Adjacent to the hotel is the Kampala Serena International Conference Center with a seating capacity of 1,500 and multilingual translation facilities of up to nine languages simultaneously.{{cite web | access-date=7 July 2014 | url=http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakampala/meetings-en.html | title=Conferences, Meetings And Events At the Kampala Serena Hotel | publisher=Serena Hotels | archive-date=14 July 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223918/http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakampala/meetings-en.html | url-status=dead }} In 2016, the hotel was expanded, with the addition of 32 bedrooms, and the improvement of food, beverage, and meeting facilities.{{cite web | date=25 August 2015 | last=Omusolo | url=http://www.nation.co.ke/business/Serena-bets-big-on-tourism-rebound--gets-Sh2bn-loan/-/996/2845518/-/c2t78tz/-/index.html | title=Serena bets big on tourism rebound, gets Sh2bn loan | access-date=25 August 2015 | first=Moses | newspaper=Daily Nation | location=Nairobi }}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web | access-date=27 August 2015 | url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Serena-Hotels-in--20m-deal-with-French-fund-Proparco/-/2560/2846234/-/item/0/-/tgb226/-/index.html | date=26 August 2015 | newspaper=The EastAfrican | location=Nairobi | first=Victor | last=Juma | title=Serena Hotels in $20m deal with French fund Proparco | archive-date=23 December 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223033805/http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Serena-Hotels-in--20m-deal-with-French-fund-Proparco/-/2560/2846234/-/item/0/-/tgb226/-/index.html | url-status=dead }}

International Conference Center at Serena Hotel was constructed in 1975 in order to host 13th Summit of the Organization of African Unity (OAU).{{cite web |url=https://www.spomenikdatabase.org/post/10-works-of-yugoslav-modernist-architecture-in-africa-the-middle-east |title=10 Works of Yugoslav Modernist Architecture in Africa & the Middle East |last=Niebyl |first=Donald |date=29 March 2020 |website=The Spomenik Database |publisher=The Spomenik Database |access-date=31 March 2020 }} The hexagonal building was completed by Energoprojekt holding from Non-Aligned Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The venue was subsequently used by Idi Amin regime for president's personal activities and according to some sources for torture of Amin's opponents and enemies.

The Kampala Serena Hotel is owned by a consortium that includes three corporate entities; (a) Tourism Promotion Services, a division of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, (b) the Uganda National Social Security Fund, (c) Proparco, a French property investment company.{{cite web|

url=http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/Serena-Hotels-in-Sh2bn-deal-with-French-fund-Proparco/-/539550/2846208/-/13x9fdf/-/index.html |

title=Serena Hotels in Sh2 billion deal with French fund Proparco |

date=25 August 2015 |access-date=20 May 2016 |newspaper=Business Daily Africa|last=Juma|location=Nairobi|first=Victor}}{{cite web| url=http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1217942/nssf-buys-stake-serena-hotel |title=NSSF buys 20% stake in Serena Hotel|location=Kampala|

access-date=20 May 2016 |date=8 October 2007 |newspaper=New Vision| last=Geresom Musamali |first=and Charles Bwogi}} The table below summarizes the shareholding in the business.

In March 2016, the hotel began renovations that will "create 36 new residential rooms, a new state-of-the-art suite, partial refurbishment and alterations of the meeting rooms and create more executive lounges and meeting rooms".{{cite web|first=Martin Luther |last=Oketch | url=http://www.monitor.co.ug/News/National/Kampala-Serena-Hotel-starts-|

date=20 May 2016 |access-date=20 March 2016 |title=Kampala Serena Hotel starts Shs 26 billion expansion|newspaper=Daily Monitor |location=Kampala}}{{dead link|date=September 2016}} The US$8 million expansion is partly funded by PROPARCO of France and is expected to last 12 months.

• Kampala Capital City Authority
• Kampala Central Division
• Lake Victoria Serena Resort

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakampala/default-en.html The Kampala Serena Hotel Homepage] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171218223953/http://www.serenahotels.com/serenakampala/default-en.html |date=2017-12-18 }}
• [http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Serena+adds+Tanzanian+link+to+its+hotels+chain+/-/1006/1278730/-/n0lsu6/-/index.html Serena Adds Tanzanian Link to Its Hotels Chain]
• [http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Serena+close+to+hotel+share+swap+deal/-/539552/1282618/-/item/0/-/ga2d64z/-/index.html Serena Close to Hotel Share Swap Deal: TPS East Africa to Acquire TPS Uganda]{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
• [http://www.worldtravelawards.com/award-ugandas-leading-hotel-2015 Uganda's Leading Hotel 2015]

{{The Leading Hotels of the World|Africa}}

{{Kampala District}}

{{coord|00|19|08|N|32|35|11|E|display=title}}

Category:Hotels in Kampala

Category:Kampala Central Division

Category:Hotel buildings completed in 1975

Category:Hotels established in 2006

Category:Yugoslav architecture beyond former Yugoslavia