The Pearl of Africa Hotel is a hotel in

Kampala Kampala (, ) is the capital and largest city of Uganda. The city proper has a population of 1,680,000 and is divided into the five political divisions of Kampala Central Division, Kawempe Division, Makindye Division, Nakawa Division, and Ruba ...

, the capital and largest city of

Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...

. The building, under development since 2006, was completed in June 2017, and was opened on 1 October 2017.

Location

The hotel is located in Central Kampala on Nakasero Hill. The building stands on a site that was previously occupied by the state's television stations. The elevation of the site is approximately above sea level, making it one of the highest points in the city.

Overview

Aya Investments Limited, a subsidiary of the

Aya Group The Aya Group of Companies, commonly referred to as the Aya Group, is a business conglomerate based in Uganda. Location With headquarters at 62 Bombo Road, Kawempe, in northern Kampala, Uganda's largest city, the group's business activities exte ...

, has been working on the 24-story building since 2006. Because of cash shortages and administrative difficulties, the hotel took much longer to complete, with many missed deadlines and multiple postponements of the opening date. Since completion, it is the tallest completed building in the city, at 23 storeys and about in height. The building was originally developed under the

Hilton Hotels Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton. The original company was founded by Conrad Hilton. As ...

brand. However, when the owners of the hotel failed to reach a licensing agreement with Hilton, the latter signed up with

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group Radisson Hospitality, Inc. (trading as Radisson Hotel Group) is an American multi-national hospitality company. It started as a division of Carlson Companies, which owned Radisson Hotels, Country Inns & Suites and other brands. In 1994, Carlson s ...

in January 2017. In June 2017 the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group withdrew from the management agreement. In September 2017 a South African hotel brand, Sovereign Hotels, entered into a short term management agreement with the owners and opened the hotel in October 2017.

Construction costs

, the total construction bill for the property was estimated at about US$150 million (UGX:350 billion), according to Aya Group Chairman Mohammed Hamid. In September 2017, the

New Vision (newspaper) The ''New Vision'' is a Ugandan English-language newspaper published daily in print form and online. Overview ''New Vision'' is one of two main national English-language newspapers in Uganda, the other being the '' Daily Monitor''. It is publ ...

reported that the Aya Group had invested USh1.75 trillion (US$300 million), into this project.

Other developments

In February 2011, a restaurant kitchen design firm based in

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

, United States, was awarded the contract to design the food and beverage services of the hotel, including a sports bar, lobby lounge and bar, banquet facility, bakery, staff canteen, pool bar, coffee shop, and a specialty restaurant. In June 2013, the

appointed FEBC International, a global hospitality, procurement, and project management company, to act as "Procurement Management Consultant for Operating Supplies and Equipment" (OS&E) services for the hotel. In December 2013, the

Hilton Hotels & Resorts Hilton Hotels & Resorts (formerly known as Hilton Hotels) is a global brand of full-service hotels and resorts and the flagship brand of American multinational hospitality company Hilton Worldwide, Hilton. The original company was founded by C ...

denied rumors that they had pulled out of the deal with the Aya Group due to construction delays. They instead reiterated that they are working closely with the owners to complete the construction and open the franchise to the public.

New partners

In September 2017, one month before the opening, the

reported that the

, who own the hotel, had contracted with the Sovereign Hotels Group, a

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

- based hotel management company, for the latter to manage the business. In September 2018,

Forbes.com ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

reported that the owners of the hotel had hired

Wyndham Hotels & Resorts Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, Inc. is an American hotel company based in Parsippany, New Jersey, United States. It describes itself as the largest hotel franchisor in the world, with 9,280 locations. It has a portfolio of 20 hotel brands, including ...

of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

to manage the US$300 million 5-star establishment, effective October 2018.

References