Hospitality group The LUX Collective has signed a transformational deal that will transform its presence in the African country of Rwanda, adding five sites at a stroke.
The move is a strategic partnership with investor Cleo Capital Group, a business active in growing business ventures across Rwanda. Together, the two companies will work on a new initiative driving luxury hospitality growth in the country. Lux Collective will introduce its LUX and SALT brands, which between them will brand five resorts, launching over the next two years.
A Mix of Refurbishments and New Builds
Two phases are planned within the larger initiative. First, The Lux Collective will be taking over two existing resort destinations initially, with a rebranding planned to take place during 2026. This will be followed by development of three new sites, which will be launched in 2028.
Cleo Capital already owns one of the conversion properties, Cleo Lake Kivu, which will become LUX Lake Kivu. The company has also acquired Akagara Game Lodge, which will be rebranded as SALT of Akagera. This will be transformed into a luxury safari retreat, with 60 lodges to accommodate guests, in a savannah setting.
The second phase will add three properties in Volcanoes National Park, Nyungwe National Park and Akagera National Park. All three of these new projects will be luxury retreats, embedded in nature. LUX Volcanoes will have 26 lodges, overlooking the Virunga volcanic range, enabling guests to enjoy mountain gorilla spotting, and treks in the rainforest.
Similarly, LUX Akagera and LUX Nyungwe will feature 26 suites, at Nyungwe expressed as treehouse style accommodation, while in Akagera there will be luxury, elegant tent style suites. The Nyungwe destination will be within a long established rain forest, while those staying at Akagera can expect trips out to see the Big Five game and predatory animals, in the wild.
The Rwanda projects join a growing pipeline for the Lux Collective group, which currently counts 18 operating resorts and hotels in Mauritius, Maldives, Ile de la Reunion, China and Tanzania. It has 16 more hotels in development across Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Expanding LUX in China
Before the end of 2026, the group expects to open LUX Guangzhou, a 109 room luxury hotel in a city that is the gateway to southern China. Also coming up is LUX Khorfakkan, a eco-conscious development with just 45 rooms, overlooking the Gulf of Oman in the UAE. And into early 2027, another Chinese project, the 100 room LUX Tea Horse Road Mount Tiantai, will open in Sichuan.
Elsewhere in Rwanda, hospitality development is focused in the capital, Kigali. There, the upcoming Odalys City Business Apart Hotel is currently nearing completion, a 200 unit property being developed on the land formerly used by the Ministry of Justice. And in 2027, Best Western will open the Royal Golf View hotel, under its Best Western Premier flag. This project, in the city’s Kacyiru neighbourhood will feature a 60 room hotel, plus adjacent branded residences.
