Hôtel des Mille Collines

The Hôtel des Mille Collines is a large hotel in Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda. During the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, more than a thousand people found refuge in the hotel. The story of the hotel and its manager at that time, Paul Rusesabagina, was made into the movie "Hotel Rwanda". The French, "des Mille Collines", is from "Land of a Thousand Hills", a poetic name for Rwanda.

Related Topics:
Kigali - Rwanda - Rwandan Genocide - 1994 - Paul Rusesabagina - Hotel Rwanda - French

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The Belgian flight-carrier Sabena owned the hotel at the time of the genocide. The European managers were flown out and Rusesabagina, who was manager of the smaller Hôtel des Diplomates at that time, was made manager. With the help of his wife, he bribed the Hutu Interahamwe militia with money and alcohol to keep them from killing the refugees in the hotel. He also managed to provide the refugees with food and water, from the swimming pool.

Related Topics:
Sabena - Hôtel des Diplomates - Hutu - Interahamwe - Militia

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The four star hotel continues to operate. It has 112 rooms, a bar/café, three conference rooms, a restaurant, and the now-famous swimming pool.

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