Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Center Kigali

The Radisson Blu in Kigali is one of the latest hotels to open in the Rwandan capital. It is attached to the Kigali Convention Center, a building which has changed the Kigali skyline forever, and brings much bling and flash to the city with a progressive design that tries to blend some of Rwanda’s heritage with 21st century modernity by taking inspiration from the Royal Palace.

The hotel is impressive and it is impossible to miss as you can see it from anywhere in the city. Standing tall at the top of one of the hills in Kigali, the Radisson Blu and the beehive-shaped Convention Center are one of the expressions of Rwanda’s focus on MICE, Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions, to bring the corporate clientele to Rwanda.

The buildings are lit at night, the convention center with flowing lights that change in colour, from the Rwandan flag to other color combinations, the hotel with just the regular room lights, against the colourful netting on the facade. The complex is mesmerising.

The hotel has almost 300 rooms and a small shopping mall with restaurants and shops, should you want to get out of the expensive hotel food and beverage options. It has all the usual conveniences of a modern business hotel and lots of the quirks that make Radisson Blu what it is. Guests complain of too-fancy room features that are impractical but adore the gym and the friendly and helpful staff.

The convention center can accommodate 5,000 people and is accessible from the hotel, not before going through various airport-level security checks which are also necessary when coming into the hotel.