Serena tops hotel rankings

Minister of Tourism Maria Mutagamba (L) hands the Kampala Serena Hotel general manager, Mr Anthony Chege, (2nd L) an award for 5-star category as Uganda Hotel Owners Association president Susan Muhwezi (2ndR) and Uganda Tourism Board executive director Stephen Asiimwe look on at Kampala Serena Hotel on Friday. PHOTO by STEPHEN WANDERA

KAMPALA. Celebrations and ululations reigned high at the Kampala Serena Hotel’s Victoria Hall on Friday night as the Tourism ministry recognised and awarded the best hotels in the country.
In the first ever such classification, the ministry issued the categories of Two, Three, Four and Five-star hotels as rated by the East African assessors under Uganda Tourism Board (UTB).
The classification of the hotels was based on quality and efficiency, location, buildings, lobby, lunch, restaurants and bars, among others.

Improving tourism
Kampala Serena International Hotel emerged the best in the 5-star Hotel category. Other competitors in this category were Sheraton International Hotel Kampala and Munyonyo Commonwealth Hotel.
Tourism minister Maria Mutagamba, who presided over the function, said the move for recognition and standardisation of the hotels is meant to scale up the tourism industry by assuring international tourists of safe and secure accommodation, food and other things while they visit Uganda.
“As a ministry, we are embarking on the standardisation of accommodation services, which was found lacking not just in Uganda but East Africa,” said Ms Mutagamba.
Mr Steven Asiimwe, the UTB executive officer, said hotels in other towns in the country will also be graded.
Ms Susan Muhwezi, the president of Uganda Hotels Association, said the initiative will “ease marketing of classified hotels because their standards would be known like other international hotels.”
Out of the 76 hotels that were inspected around Kampala, only 26 were categorised. Ms Asiimwe said the uncategorised hotels did not meet the required standards.
However, he explained that big hotels, such as Golf Course Kampala, were not categorised because they did not take part in the exercise. He warned that other hotels which accorded themselves the “star” ranking acted contrary to the law and risk prosecution.
How the hotels were classified

Five-star hotels

Kampala Serena Hotel
Sheraton Kampala Hotel
Munyonyo Commonwealth Hotel

Four-star hotels
Speke Resort Munyonyo
Royal Suites
Hotel Africana
Protea Hotel
Imperial Royale

Three-star hotels

Speke Resort Munyonyo
Royal Suites
Hotel Africana
Protea Hotel
Imperial Royale

Two-star hotels
Speke Hotel
Metropol Hotel
Hotel Triangle
Hotel Triangle
Hotel Ruch
Hotel Ureka & Suites
Arch Apartments
Sir Jose Hotel
Sky Hotel International
Shangrila Hotel Kampala
Mt Zion Hotel