Sheraton Kampala Hotel

Sheraton Kampala Hotel is a landmark hotel in Kampala, Uganda, located on the southwestern slopes of Nakasero Hill in the city’s central area. It operates under the Sheraton Hotels & Resorts flag, which is part of Marriott International’s global lodging portfolio. The property combines accommodation, food and beverage services, leisure amenities, and facilities for conferences, meetings, and official functions. The hotel opened on October 8, 1967, as the Apolo Hotel. Its name reflected Apollo Milton Obote, who attended the opening while serving as Prime Minister of Uganda. The property’s identity changed along with the country’s political history. After Obote was removed in the 1971 military coup that brought Idi Amin to power, the hotel was renamed Kampala International Hotel. Following the overthrow of Amin in 1979, the property was used as a headquarters by Tanzanian forces and the Uganda National Liberation Army. When Obote returned to power in 1980, the hotel resumed the Apolo Hotel name. Uganda’s economic liberalization under the National Resistance Movement government created the conditions for a change in the hotel’s commercial structure. In 1987, Middle Eastern investors obtained a 25-year lease from Apolo Hotel Corporation Limited, a company wholly owned by the Ugandan government at that time. The hotel underwent extensive refurbishment and reopened in 1991 as Sheraton Kampala Hotel under a Sheraton franchise arrangement. The redevelopment also altered the surrounding grounds: a fence between the hotel compound and adjacent Jubilee Park was removed, and the park was renamed Sheraton Gardens. Sheraton Kampala has subsequently undergone further major renovation episodes and has remained one of Kampala’s prominent upscale business and conference hotels. The Uganda Tourism Board classified it among Kampala’s three five-star hotels in June 2015. Its location in Nakasero places it near government, diplomatic, commercial, and institutional activity, supporting a positioning centered on business travel, meetings, events, and upscale city accommodation. The property’s historical importance is linked not only to its hospitality role but also to the political transitions and ownership changes reflected in its successive names.

Sheraton Kampala Hotel opened on October 8, 1967, under the name Apolo Hotel. The opening was attended by Apollo Milton Obote, the Ugandan prime minister whose name the hotel carried. As Uganda entered a period of political upheaval, the property’s name changed. Idi Amin’s 1971 coup and the removal of Obote led to the hotel being renamed Kampala International Hotel. The hotel was drawn into the events surrounding the fall of Amin in 1979. Tanzanian forces and the Uganda National Liberation Army used the property as a headquarters after Amin was overthrown. With Obote’s return to power in 1980, the hotel once again became known as the Apolo Hotel. These changes made the property an unusually visible reflection of Uganda’s political transitions during the late 1960s, 1970s, and early 1980s. A major structural change followed the economic liberalization pursued by the National Resistance Movement government after it came to power in 1986. In 1987, a group of Middle Eastern investors secured the right to lease the hotel for 25 years. The lessor was Apolo Hotel Corporation Limited, identified in the reference material as wholly owned by the Ugandan government. The investors undertook extensive refurbishment, and the property reopened in 1991 under the Sheraton name as a franchised Sheraton Hotels property. The redevelopment also changed the relationship between the hotel and its neighboring public space. A fence separating the hotel grounds from Jubilee Park was removed, and the park was renamed Sheraton Gardens. The gardens became part of the property’s broader identity and event environment. The hotel has experienced additional major renovations over the years, although the available reference material does not specify the dates, scope, or financial value of those projects. By June 2015, the Uganda Tourism Board rated Sheraton Kampala among the three five-star hotels in Kampala. Its location on the southwestern slopes of Nakasero Hill, an upscale area in Kampala Central Division, places it within the city’s principal business and administrative environment. The property’s role has consequently extended beyond lodging: it has served as a venue for meetings, conferences, hospitality functions, and other high-profile gatherings. Today, it operates as a Sheraton-branded hotel within the Marriott International portfolio, while retaining a locally distinctive history that predates its adoption of the Sheraton flag.

• 2015

  Recognized as a Kampala five-star hotel

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The Uganda Tourism Board included Sheraton Kampala among Kampala’s three five-star hotels in June 2015.

• 1991

  Reopened as Sheraton Kampala Hotel

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  After extensive refurbishment, the hotel reopened under the Sheraton brand as a franchised property.

• 1987

  Long-term lease granted

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Middle Eastern investors obtained a 25-year lease from Apolo Hotel Corporation Limited, the government-owned company identified as the hotel’s owner at the time.

• 1980

  Return to the Apolo Hotel name

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property reverted to the Apolo Hotel name after Obote returned to power.

• 1979

  Used as a wartime headquarters

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  After Idi Amin was overthrown, Tanzanian forces and the Uganda National Liberation Army used the hotel as a headquarters.

• 1971

  Renamed Kampala International Hotel

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  Following the military coup that removed Apollo Milton Obote and brought Idi Amin to power, the hotel adopted the Kampala International Hotel name.

• 1967

  Opening as the Apolo Hotel

  [1]Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org

  The property opened on October 8, 1967, as the Apolo Hotel in Kampala. Apollo Milton Obote attended the opening.

An upscale business, conference, and events hotel serving Kampala’s corporate, diplomatic, governmental, and leisure markets.

• Hotel accommodation · 1967

  Guest rooms and suites

  The hotel’s core offering is upscale accommodation in central Kampala. Its lodging business serves corporate travelers, diplomats, government visitors, conference delegates, and leisure guests seeking a full-service five-star property.

• Food and beverage · 1967

  Dining and beverage services

  Sheraton Kampala provides hotel-based dining and beverage services as part of its full-service hospitality proposition. The available reference material confirms dining as a principal operating activity but does not identify the current outlet names or menus.

• Business hospitality · 1967

  Meetings, conferences, and events

  Meeting, conference, banquet, and event services are central to the property’s business positioning. Its location and upscale facilities make it suitable for corporate gatherings, official functions, diplomatic events, and social occasions.

• Event and outdoor space · 1991

  Sheraton Gardens

  The grounds adjoining the hotel were expanded conceptually when the fence separating the property from Jubilee Park was removed and the park was renamed Sheraton Gardens. The gardens form part of the hotel’s distinctive setting and event-related identity.

• 1991

  Adopt the Sheraton brandStrategy

  Background

  The property had been extensively refurbished after the long-term lease arrangement.

  Action taken

  It reopened as Sheraton Kampala Hotel under a Sheraton Hotels franchise.

  Aftermath

  The property became an internationally branded upscale hotel while retaining its Kampala location and historical significance.

  Source

• 1987

  Grant a 25-year lease to Middle Eastern investorsM&A

  Background

  Following economic liberalization after the National Resistance Movement came to power, the government-owned Apolo Hotel Corporation Limited pursued a new commercial arrangement for the property.

  Action taken

  A group of Middle Eastern investors won the right to lease the hotel for 25 years and undertook extensive refurbishment.

  Aftermath

  The hotel reopened in 1991 under the Sheraton flag, establishing its modern identity as an international branded hotel.

  Source

• 1971

  Rename the property as Kampala International HotelStrategy

  Background

  The hotel’s original name was associated with Apollo Milton Obote, who was removed from power in a military coup.

  Action taken

  The property changed its name from Apolo Hotel to Kampala International Hotel.

  Aftermath

  The renaming reflected the political transition of the period; the hotel later returned to the Apolo name.

  Source

1. 1Sheraton Kampala Hotelen.wikipedia.org