Emeraude Kivu Resort Vantage location and classic services position it as the best destination

Emeraude Kivu Resort is located at the centre of a triangular region in close proximity with Rwanda, Burundi and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). 

Magnificent views, a super standard restaurant, gym, massage and deluxe rooms are some of the phenomena that position Emeraude Kivu Resort as one of the best destinations in Rusizi District, Western Province. It is also famous for hosting conferences with state-of-the-art equipment like sound system and projectors in a 80-capacity conference room. 

Have you been to Emeraude Kivu Resort? If yes, don’t suffer from nostalgia, you can visit the hotels that meets the taste of all visitors. The upgraded facilities and unmatched customer care make the hotel one of the best destination, not only tourists and holidaymakers but also merrymakers. 

Established at the shores of Lake Kivu, Emeraude Kivu Resort enjoys a vantage location that enables guests to enjoy fascinating views of Lake Kivu and the beautiful landscape of DRC just across the waters. 

The visitors at Emeraude Kivu Resort get fascinating and memorable experiences at the shore due to various leisure activities offered by the hotel. These include water sports activities like swimming and a ride on an engine boat. Hotel services are in full swing here because the hotel values recreational activities as core on the hotel services package. Relaxation and refreshment are guaranteed throughout the week at Emeraude Kivu Resort.  

Secondly, being situated at the shores of Lake Kivu the hotel guests enjoy the cold breezes that emanate from the lake that hosts the border of Rwanda and DRC in Western Rwanda. 

The serene environment of Emeraude Kivu Resort include spectacular, spotless, trimmed gardens, a restaurant, free shuttle service, a 24-hour front desk, free WiFi and a specious parking. A professional staff of 26 permanent members ensures that all guests are catared for.

Rooms

Some rooms at the property feature a terrace with a lake view. All rooms features a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, microwave, a kettle, a shower and a desk. All guest rooms will provide guests with a toaster. The resort offers a continental or American breakfast.

The classy facilities and high standard of services qualify Emeraude Kivu Resort as the best destination. The specifications of the rooms conform the standards and requirements of hotels in East Africa (EA).  Eugène Rutagarama and his wife are the brainchild behind this hotel. The couple is well travelled with vast knowledge and wide experience about hospitality and tourism sectors in the East African regional bloc. 

The wife, who is currently the manager of the hotel’s restaurant holds a Master’s Degree in Hotel Management. While Rutagarama holds a Masters in Biology Conservation from the United Kingdom. Therefore, both boast of a wealth background of tourism. Rutagarama had worked in the tourism sector since the early 1990s as a senior technical officer in ORTPN before he fled the country  due to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. 

When he returned back he served as the Deputy Executive Officer  of ORTPN. He later worked in Nyungwe for three years before assuming a post of a Programme Officer for an NGO in Virunga for nine years. 

The couple have spent a great deal of their active years carrying out study tours to parks and vibrant cities in the EA region. This passion of learning more about the hospitality sector was great motivation for them to visit many booming cities in the region. They have been to Mombasa, Malindi and Nairobi. 

“I would take photos of fascinating views. And, I followed the guidelines for a 3*Hotel specifications and minimum standards and I had the pitcture of my dream hotel and I had mastered whatever I wanted. Therefore, I helped the architects to come up with the perfect design of this hotel,” recalled Rutagarama.

Rutagarama’s work background provided an opportunity for him to gather fundamental knowledge and skills in the hospitality and tourism sectors. 

Accommodation capacity has been expanding from eight rooms at its beginning in 2010 to 34 rooms as of January 2022. In addition, they have established facilities (self-contained) where families with children can be hosted and entertained under maximum comfort and security.  The classy beds in the rooms and top-class mosquito nets along unparalleled room services is one of the factors that have enabled the hotel gain clients’ confidence in just 12 years.  

Historic Background

Mr. Rutagarama’s account is characteristic of moments of hard times whereby continuity meant sacrifice, hard work, patience and more investment. At one time, rutagamara says they did not have collateral and entirely depended on their savings. Lack of enough initial capital was hugely the reason why Emeraude Kivu Resort was constructed in three phases. 

After completing the first phase, he secured a loan from commercial institutions, which revamped the construction activities and the hotel got a new facelift. 

The Chairman of this hotel who is also the Founder says that they chose Cyangugu as the location because his goal was to invest in tourism and at the time there was no single facility in the category of 3* Hotel. His passion, therefore, was to start a hotel that attract governmental officials, diplomats, high profile business persons, members of international non-governmental organisations and the middle class community in general. 

Mr. Rutagarama hails Rusizi and he had the passion to develop his home area as well.  In 2017 when he embarked on phase two of the hotel’s construction, the hotel had expanded to 34 rooms. 

Before they started on the foundation of the hotel, the couple had ventured into restaurant business in Kigali City though none of the two restaurants they started was economically viable. The challenges they faced in Kigali never made the couple back down on their dream of establishing a hotel in Rusizi. 

The Chairman says that the development of water transport on Lake Kuvu, which is in the offing will increase convenience for the clients of the hotel to connect easily between major cities like Rubavu, Karongi, Bukavu and Goma. Currently, this poses a main challenge to expanding the clientele.