Kabul Serena Hotel

completed

The project, the Kabul Serena Hotel, entails complete renovation and expansion of the Kabul Hotel in three phases, the renovation of 43 rooms in the existing building, a further 54 rooms in the existing building, and the addition of 63 rooms in a new wing attached to the original building. The project costs are estimated to be $27.8 million. The hotel will be operated by Serena Tourism Promotion Services (STPS) of the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development (AKFED). The project will address an acute shortage of hotel rooms in Kabul to meet the needs of diplomats, government workers, aid organizations, media, NGOs and potential business investors visiting the city. There are currently no hotels in Kabul approaching international hotel standards in terms of security, physical product or services while demand is expected to continue to increase as the country's rebuilding progresses. In addition to accommodations, the Kabul Serena Hotel will provide reliable food and beverage services, business center facilities, communications, meeting rooms, etc. The sponsor is AKFED, and its subsidiary, STPS, now operates 20 hotels in Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique and Pakistan under the Serena brand. As in other hotel projects, STPS has established a separate company in Afghanistan, TPS(A), for the purpose of implementing this project. AKFED is an economic development agency headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland that helps develop economically viable enterprises through equity participation, combined with management and technical support. AKFED is part of the larger Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) a group of development agencies working in health, education, culture, rural and economic development. AKDN has been active in Afghanistan for a number of years and has a strong local presence.