I stayed at the Laico Umubano for 3 nights for an NGO workshop. Fortunately they were paying the bill, not me, as it was $150 "special conference rate" which is a rip-off for what's on offer. The Laico chain seems to be picking up hotels in Africa on the cheap and then doing nothing with them (e.g. Grand Regency in... more

I'm stuck here at the Libyan-owned LAICO, ex-Novotel, because Serena wants $325/.night and there was little availability elsewhere. The day I checked in, their key card system broke down. Every time I need to go to my room, I have to find someone with a master key to escort me. They were expecting the "spare part" from Kenya but apparently... more

The Novotel is tired and it needs a good facelift but lets look at the positives :) 1. There is a bank open 12 hours a day 7 days a week to change cash. 2. Next Door there is a great restaurant called Kabana that does great food and has one of the cheapest places in town for beer. 3.... more

Just coming to the end of a two week business trip, and do you know what, it's been OK. This is no longer the Novotel, even hough everybody knows it as the Novotel. It is now the LAICO Umubano Kigali Hotel and they seem to be putting some money into the place. Whilst I have been here the pool and... more

Avoid this hotel if you can. It is threadbare and overpriced. The food is OK but the rooms have all seen better days and the hotel is screaming out for a renovation. The pool has a sign asking people not to blow their nose in it, so draw your own conclusions about its cleanliness. I really get the feeling that... more

We booked this hotel via email, which took several tries. After the airport pickup, the woman left us in the van for 45 minutes while she chatted to her friends and seemed to forget why she was at the airport. The hotel didn't have our reservation when we got there - and then tried to charge us $180 per night.... more

Before embarking upon my trip, I read all of the reviews of the Kigali Novotel that I could find. And, I'll admit, the reviews made me REALLY nervous. (I was with a group tour that booked the hotel for us so I had no choice in which hotel to choose.) So, my arrival at the Kigali Novotel was marked by... more

This hotel proved absolutely fine for us as a one night stop over in Kigali before an early morning flight. The food for all meals was a buffet and the staff were all very friendly (as like most Rwandans we met!). The room was clean, tidy and modern. The bathroom was also clean and had a warm shower which is... more

The Novotel hotel is dated and needs attention. The staff are very nice but the facilities are lacking. Business services are useless. Food is not good as well. The pool and tennis courts look nice enough. Location is very good though. If you can stay somewhere else, then do it. Usually Novotel hotels are good - but this is by... more