Hot Opening: Kabul Serena Hotel

By Staff -- HOTELS Magazine, 4/1/2007

December 2005 -- At the beginning of November, the Aga Khan Development Network celebrated the opening of the restored and expanded Kabul Serena Hotel, formerly the Kabul Hotel, in Afghanistan. Designed by architect Ramesh Khosla and operated by Serena Hotels, the Kabul Serena Hotel consists of 177 rooms set around a central garden and swimming pool. It has two restaurants, banqueting and meeting facilities, health facilities, retail stores and a pastry shop.

Located in the centre of the city, the original hotel structure was built in 1945. In view of its historic significance, many of the original architectural elements have been preserved in the restoration, and much of the original landscaping has been saved.