Uganda Tourism Board (UTB) CEO Ms. Lilly Ajarova has revealed that 300 more hoteliers and hotel managers have applied to have their accommodation facilities classified and graded.
This huge number, according to Ms. Ajarova, showed interest after other facilities underwent assessment, classification and grading. The process which began in August 2023, climaxed with the awarding of star rating plaques to 35 hotels on Wednesday.
The grading is done by the East African Community Certified Assessors.
“I want to thank all the people who came forward and subjected their facilities to this intense scrutiny for the classification and grading exercise. Because of you, we have received 300 applications from facilities seeking to be graded,” Ms. Ajarova said while giving her remarks at the ceremony held at Golden Tulip hotel.
“As we speak now, the UTB team is with the assessors in the field inventorising 100 of the 300 facilities. In the next couple of months, we will be giving out more certificates and plagues then we get to the others as well. This is a continuous exercise,” she added.
The exercise is in fulfillment of one of UTB’s mandates to carry out Quality Assurance of the tourism sector as enshrined in the Tourism Act 2008.
“One of the important aspects for the grading is that it is a marketing tool. When a hotel has a star rating, it becomes a way to market yourself to the clientele about your specific services. We all have different spending capacities; somebody will prefer to stay in a 2-star hotel, another one’s budget can only accommodate a 1-star while another person’s preference is only 5-star. So, this is a marketing tool for yourself but also for the country,” Ajarova said.
It should be noted that the last grading exercise was done 2017. This, according to Ajarova, is partly because there was a restructuring at UTB in 2018, then the Covid-19 disruption among other hindrances.
Speaking at the event, the Director Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Antiquities Mr. Basil Ajer noted that the country needs formally star-rated hotels to be able to confidently bid for hosting opportunities especially in the Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions (MICE) industry.
“The awarding of stars to the hotels that we are doing today is not just a formality, it is a testament to the quality and standards upheld by the facilities and also symbolizes the dedication of stakeholders to customer satisfaction. It is important that we maintain high standards in the tourism sector,” Mr. Ajer said.
He added, “My congratulations go to the hotels being awarded today for their contribution to the growth of the tourism industry but also for positioning Uganda as a world-class destination. This is also a reminder to have a renewed sense of purpose and continued strive for excellence and innovation.”
Ms. Pearl Hoareau Kakooza, chairperson UT B Board of Directors said the grading and certification increases the hotels’ marketability and confidence in the quality of the amenities on offer.
In turn, she said, this instils confidence in the visitors/customers and ensures certain standards of service, comfort, cleanliness, safety among others.
“We want to encourage the hotel proprietors to invest in the facility and staff training to achieve a higher rating in the next phase of the exercise. Even for the 5-star hotels, there is need to maintain the rating but also pursue even higher standards,” Ms. Kakooza said.
The graded hotels include among others;
5-star category
- Lave View Victoria Serena Resort,
- Sheraton Kampala
- Kampala Serena
4-star Category
- Protea Marriot
- Protea Hotel Kampala Skyz
- Kabira Country Club
- Mestil Hotel
- Golden Tulip
- Igongo Cultural Center
- Protea Hotel Marriot Entebbe
- Emburara Farm Lodge
3-star Category
- Collin Hotel
- Hotel Brovad
- Nyaika Hotel
- Fort Motel
- Admas Grand Hotel
- Fairway Hotel
- Lake View Resort
- Aquarius Hotel
2-star Category
- Mountains of the Moon Hotel
- Ataco Country Hotel
- Kalya Court Hotel
- K Hotels
- Hotel La Vena
- Hotel Horizon
- Elgon Hotel & Spa
- Source of the Nile Hotel