Alissa and Josh Ruxin, American public health professionals, moved to Rwanda on their honeymoon in 2006 and never left. Inspired by her volunteer work mentoring young adults, Alissa decided to build a restaurant to provide vocational training and create jobs in an effort to contribute to economic development and create opportunities for self sufficiency.
Heaven Restaurant opened on May 16, 2008 (17 years ago) and using a unique practical, hands-on approach to training, soon became known as a center of hospitality excellence in Kigali.
As Rwanda grew, so did Heaven. In 2011 Heaven opened its first boutique hotel which today has 28 rooms and is consistently ranked among Kigali’s top five hotels. In 2013 Josh published a memoir about Alissa’s experience building and growing the Heaven brand entitled: A Thousand Hills to Heaven: Love, Hope and a Restaurant in Rwanda.
As Alissa witnessed the exciting openings of internationally renowned luxury resorts in the North of Rwanda in Kinigi such as the One&Only, Wilderness Bisate and Singita, she decided that Kigali deserved a luxury boutique hotel catering to that caliber of tourist. In 2018, Alissa opened The Retreat, Kigali’s leading 5 star luxury boutique hotel with 20 rooms including 8 super luxurious pool villas and a new farm to table fine dining restaurant, Fusion. To date, Heaven and The Retreat have trained and employed over 3,500 Rwandans in hospitality, making a lasting impact on the local community and tourism sector.
The properties have hosted high profile dignitaries, including King Charles and Princess Camilla as well as a range of celebrities who have visited Rwanda.
During the last few years the Ruxins have become Rwandan citizens, adopted three Rwandan children, and supported hundreds more through their efforts with local organizations. They have made other investments in tourism projects in Rwanda and Josh Ruxin is co-founder of Goodlife Health and Beauty pharmacies in Rwanda. To focus more deeply on other passion projects and business opportunities in Rwanda, the Founders of Heaven have made the thoughtful decision to transition the business to Hemingways Hospitality group, a trusted and experienced luxury African hospitality group.
Hemingways Hospitality is pleased to announce it is expanding into Rwanda with the acquisition of Heaven Holdings Limited (including The Retreat hotel, Fusion Restaurant, Heaven Restaurant & Heaven Boutique Hotel) as well as Heaven Experiences Limited, the company’s destination management arm.
A family-owned and run hospitality and travel group, Hemingways was founded in Kenya in 1988 with its first hotel property, Hemingways Watamu, on the Kenyan coast. It has since expanded with the creation of the hospitality brand, Hemingways Collection in 2013, which owns and operates 5 star luxury boutique hotels and camps and which has set the standard for exceptional service and guest experiences. The Hemingways Hospitality group also includes Hemingways Travel, East Africa’s largest corporate travel management company and Hemingways Expeditions, a luxury destination management company.
Speaking during the handover ceremony in Kigali, Hemingways Hospitality Group CEO, Ross Evans, says welcoming an established East African luxury hospitality brand into Rwanda marks a significant moment of growth and opportunity for tourism in Rwanda which represents one of the region’s leading luxury tourism destinations.
“We are incredibly excited about this opportunity and look forward to working with and continuing to develop the talented team of hospitality professionals at Heaven and The Retreat. With our trusted reputation, deep regional experience and strong hospitality and travel network, Hemingways is well positioned to build on Heaven’s legacy while bringing a new level of excellence to Kigali.” Said Mr. Evans.
Gahigiro Capital Ltd. served as the exclusive financial advisor to the Ruxin family throughout the transaction, providing comprehensive advisory services from initial mandate to successful completion.
This landmark deal marks Gahigiro Capital’s inaugural hospitality sector transaction and underscores the compelling investment opportunities attracting regional capital to Rwanda’s dynamic market.
The Hemingways Group has ties to Kenya dating back over 40 years. Hemingways Watamu opened in 1988 and the Group has expanded and invested considerably in travel and tourism in Kenya and East Africa since then.
The Group owns and operates The Hemingways Collection, Hemingways Travel, Hemingways Expeditions and Hemingways Residences.
Gahigiro Capital is a corporate finance & advisory firm headquartered in Kigali- Rwanda, offering a variety of Corporate Finance & Advisory services to start-ups, or greenfield projects, to multinationals, or brownfield projects, operating across the sub-Saharan Africa continent. (End)