Tucked 700 meters away from Kamembe Airport and 750 meters from Rusizi city center, as well as 1.5 kilometer to the Rwanda DR Congo frontier, Vive Hotel & Apartments is a hospitality gem strategically located.
The spectacular view of the vegetation and close proximity of Lake Kivu shores present VIVE HOTEL & APARTMENTS an intimate, restful and modern refuge for travelers looking for a joyous experience.
A peaceful retreat for many Rwandans travelling to the Southwestern city of Rusizi and tourists mostly from the neighboring DR Congo, the hotel features a collection of relaxing rooms and suites.
“We officially opened Vive Hotel & Apartments in 2017 with a target to provide services to a range of people who travel to our city and fail to get hotel services,” explains Vicent Twizeyimana, the owner and founder of the hotel.
As a businessman in Rusizi who was in transportation, Twizeyimana spotted a business opportunity when he realized that many people travelling to his home town lacked decent facilities to stay and enjoy the tranquility of the area.
To taste the waters in the hospitality sector, he first built Umunini Motel which opened in 2008 and still operational. As clientele increased and demand for hotel services grew, Twizeyimana mobilized more resources to build a bigger facility.
He says that building the new hotel was developed from the old motel, perfecting every step from the experience while bringing out the wishes of customers.
Boasting the best value, Vive Hotel & Apartments is spacious with 54 Rooms including apartments, a Bar and Restaurant with African cuisine as well as conference facilities. The largest conference hall can accommodate up to 1,000 people well seated and four smaller ones of 300, 100 & 50 people respectively.
The proprietor notes that, the hotel attracts a big number of guests from DR Congo and local clientele specifically enjoys the conference facilities like conducting retreats and wedding receptions.
Guest Rooms at Vive Hotel & Apartments are cozy fitted with flat-screen TV, private bathrooms equipped with a bath or shower, free toiletries for the ultimate Rusizi vacation.
The hotel takes care of transportation for clients from Kamembe Airport and are equally returned for the next flight.
However, the current situation in the hospitality sector was greatly affected by Covid-19 restrictions and Rusizi was not immune to the pandemic. The founder of the hotel notes that the clientele from the neighboring DRC significantly decreased in number.
As the economy recovers from these devastating effects, so are business activities in Rusizi city. Establishments like Vive Hotel are regaining their niche but business from across the border has not yet resumed, this is mostly because operational hours at the Rwanda – DRC border were reduced.
Twizeyimana, also the Chairman of the Hotel and Restaurants Association in Rusizi District, calls upon the government to look at challenges faced by hotels in Rusizi. Some policies, also, affect the sector like the recent Prime Minister regulations prohibiting government institutions to hold workshops in hotels.
Government being one of the biggest customer should look into ways to give business to hotels, says Twizeyimana. He adds that this will allow quick economic recovery in this sector as they look for business elsewhere and it will allow more job creation.
Vive Hotel & Apartments has created hundreds of jobs in Rusizi includinghotel staff and ready market for suppliers.
Through social corporate responsibility, the hotel supports small scale women traders dealing in vegetables.
The hotel supported them become formal traders working together in form of associations, improve quality of their products and provide a ready market.
The founder of Vive Hotel & Apartments observes that, the development of Rusizi requires efforts of everyone and is undeniable because of the region’s potential and the political will of the leadership in place.
