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Uganda's first Four Points by Sheraton hotel boosts tourism recovery
Uganda welcomes its first Four Points by Sheraton hotel, a project brought to life by the leading African planning, design, architecture, and engineering team at FBW Group. The newly opened Four Points by Sheraton Kampala is poised to contribute to Uganda's post-pandemic visitor economy recovery.
FBW Group has spearheaded the multi-million-dollar hotel development in Uganda’s capital, lending its architectural, structural, civil, and MEP engineering expertise to the project. The opening of this hotel marks a significant milestone in Uganda’s hospitality sector.
The hotel offers 142 guest rooms and suites, restaurants, bars and a ballroom as well as meeting rooms, swimming pool and fitness centre.
The official opening earlier this month came as Uganda looks to attract more visitors from across the world with a new marketing initiative.
The ‘Explore Uganda, the Pearl of Africa’ brand promises to provide visitors with a once-in-a-lifetime adventure, according to the Uganda Tourism Board, which is behind the plan.
Recent figures also show Uganda’s tourism trade continuing to rebound post-pandemic with visitor numbers rising 59% in 2022. Last year the country welcomed around 814,508 international visitors.
Easy access to transit routes
Sitting at the foot of Kololo Hill, an upscale residential area, and near to Nakasero, Kampala’s central business district, the new Four Points by Sheraton Kampala is around 40km from Entebbe International Airport.
FBW, which has operations in Uganda, Kenya, and Rwanda, delivered a full design and construction service on the project, covering project management, architecture, structural and civil engineering as well as MEP engineering.
“We’re delighted that this fantastic addition to Kampala’s visitor and hospitality offering is now complete and is opening to guests. The whole construction and design team had to cope with the extra pressures brought by the pandemic in the middle of the project," said Nigel Tilling, project director at FBW Group.
“The newly delivered hotel stands as testament to the professionalism and determination of everyone involved, from the client team and construction crews to the engineers and architects. Four Points by Sheraton Kampala is part of the 31 Marriott International brands and one of the fastest-growing hospitality brands in the world and is sure to make a big impact on business and leisure travellers. It is an impressive sight.”
Four Points by Sheraton is a multinational hotel brand operated by Marriott International Inc that targets business travellers and conventions.
As of 30 June 2020, Marriott operated 291 properties worldwide under the Four Points by Sheraton brand, with 53,054 rooms. In addition, Marriott had 130 planned hotels with 27,342 additional rooms.
FBW has played its part in the development of the visitor economy in Uganda. It delivered Kampala’s first boutique hotel The Emin Pasha is set in two acres of tropical gardens in the centre of the city.
Investment growth mirrors visitor economy
FBW was the architect, project manager and engineer on the luxury 20-room hotel development, which remains a popular destination.
The group’s architects and engineers have also worked on several high-profile signature hotel and leisure projects across East Africa.
These include the multi-million refurbishment of the Hotel Umubano in the Rwandan capital Kigali, several bespoke boutique lodges in Rwanda and Kenya and the design of a major international branded hotel in the Kenyan capital Nairobi.
“The growth in hotel investment in Kampala and other cities in East Africa has mirrored the development of the visitor economy and we’re proud of the part we’ve played in some key developments, including this latest Four Points by Sheraton development," said Stuart Harley, the group’s chief operating officer.
“The hotel projects we have been involved in have played their part in raising standards and delivering quality experiences for visitors to Uganda as well as helping the growth of the tourism sector, which is now beginning to bounce back from the impact of Covid.”
FBW is a major player in the region’s construction and development sector, working on high-profile infrastructure projects.
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