The Rwanda Hotels and Restaurant Association (RHRA) targets modernisation process with much focus on sanitation and hygiene, the association’s Vice Chairman has said.

Sanitation and hygiene was recognised as the leading challenges in hotel and restaurants business, something led to closure of businesses and suspension of employees by government officials.

"We are prepared to play a broader role in developing the tourism industry through hotels and restaurants industry,” Joshua Mugenzi, The vice Chairman of RHRA said.

He made the revelations during the General Assembly of RHRA which attracted close to fifty top-level managers and owners of hotels and restaurants across the country.

The meeting, which was held at Sports View hotel on Friday, aimed at creating awareness within the association’s members about the industry’s significance and competitiveness in the region.

The association intends to intermediate between the industry and government to address different challenges.
Mugenzi called upon industry players to observe maximum levels of hospitality and professionalism.

Being one of the nation’s most influential associations, The Chairman of RHRA Eric Musanganya, promised to highlight issues affecting the hotel industry, especially the urgent matter of poor customer care within the industry.

Musanganya cited a recent example when Gasabo district wanted to close one of the hotels in town and the association intervened to settle the problem before the closure.

"No hotel or restaurant shall be closed with out consent from the association,” The Chairman assured participants.
The conference acquainted the participants with the most recent trends in the industry.

"We can not compare RHRA with Kenyan hotel association because it has 60 years of experience but we hope to learn from them,”

The association pledged to help hotels to meet East African Hotel Standards that are being conducted countrywide.

Mugo Maringa, the association’s first Vice President who is also in charge of regional linkages promised to link the local association with others in the region to tap their experience.

According to the Tourism Inspection Officer, Frank Murangwa, so far 30 hotels have been assessed and measure up to the EAC hotel standards and 20 will be assessed in the next phase.

Recent statistics suggest that there is a boom in the hotel industry with an increase in the number of rooms from 3,438 in 2008 to 4,225.

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