The Nest officially opened on August 20 with an on-site launch event featuring music, room tours, and a first look at the newly designed spaces. The 19-room boutique hotel was built with a focus on purpose, not luxury, and everything from the materials to the furniture was made in Rwanda. With a woven twig entrance and an in-house restaurant called Tweet, The Nest is taking a new direction. Now located in Gishushu, it's not just reopening, it's offering an alternative to the typical hotel experience. ALSO READ: Beyond beauty and a thousand hills, Rwanda offers abundant opportunity According to the managing director of The Nest, Marcus Scaramanga, the hotel was built to fill a specific gap in Kigali’s hospitality scene, something designed for people coming to the city with an intention, adding that the boutique aims to be that space for people with ideas, ambitions, and curiosity. “So many people come to Kigali to build something, to create, to connect with others, and most of them come because they have heard about it. So instead of giving them the same vibes they would get in New York or what they get in cookie-cutter hotels, we want them to experience Rwanda and what it reflects,” he said. Scaramanga added that The Nest was designed with local materials made by Rwandan artisans and built to reflect the city’s growing creative and entrepreneurial energy, noting that every detail, from the rooms to the shared spaces, was carefully considered and intentional. “This wasn’t about luxury for the sake of it. It was about creating something that belongs here, something made by Rwandan hands, shaped by local ideas, and built for people who come to Kigali with intention. Everything at The Nest, from the rooms to the garden to the details you might miss at first, is part of a bigger purpose: to offer a place that feels honest, warm, and deeply connected to where we are,” he said. ALSO READ: Kigali’s global table: International cuisine reshapes the City’s food scene With a menu developed by Chef Angelique Iraguha, who 'cut her teeth' at Bisate Lodge and Singita Kwitonda Lodge, and the co-author of Uruhimbi: Rwanda Gastronomy and Culinary Art, Tweet’s locally sourced dishes include the likes of ginger chicken with orange, avocado, and zingy mustard, and a signature chocolate nest dessert. Curated cocktails such as the 'Musanze Mule' and the 'Tree Tomato G&T', paired with complimentary aperitivo bites, make Tweet a gathering place for both resident guests and Kigali’s wider community. Iraguha explained that the dishes served during the launch were cocktail-style bites, not part of the regular menu, but meant to give guests a small taste of what’s to come. She added that the restaurant’s full menu will feature a mix of Rwandan and globally inspired cuisine, with a strong focus on health, freshness, and locally sourced ingredients. What we served today was just a preview, small bites to introduce our style, but our menu has more, and our specialty is that we focus on healthy, flavorful food made with ingredients from Rwandan farms,” she said. The Nest also offers a distinctive alternative to standard hotel stays. Companies can rely on professional service, fast Wi-Fi, and flexible meeting spaces, while offering their teams and guests a stylish, authentic environment that inspires productivity and relaxation. Tour operators will find in The Nest a trusted partner, where travelers enjoy not just rooms, but curated Rwandan experiences from e-bike rentals and bird tours to the signature Wednesday Community Dinner. Matthew Deely, who designed the entrance of The Nest, explained that the hotel’s entrance is designed to feel like a large-scale woven nest made from real twigs and branches, emphasising that it was meant to signal a sense of arrival, creativity, and connection to nature. “We used twigs and branches, weaving them together like a giant bird might. Seeing it finished for the first time, it just feels right. It has the feeling we were hoping for,” he said. ALSO READ: New book showcases Rwanda’s gastronomy, culinary treasure For Kigali residents, The Nest is also a neighborhood retreat. Locals are invited to drop by Tweet for breakfast, business lunches, or after-work cocktails; to join Community Dinner Nights every Wednesday; or to enjoy a quiet garden corner to read, work, or meet friends. The Nest is designed to feel like a second home in the city. Angelitha Kanyana, a guest attending the launch, described The Nest as a true hidden gem, easy to miss from the road, but striking once inside. She was especially impressed by the design, saying the entrance and layout fully embraced the nest theme, with natural materials, artistic detail, and thoughtful lighting. She also praised the food for being familiar yet surprisingly different in flavour and presentation. After exploring the rooms and sampling the food, she said both exceeded her expectations, calling the stay-in potential “5-star.” From the moment you walk in, it feels natural, warm, and beautifully done. The design is thoughtful, the rooms are top-class, and the food honestly surprised me. The kind of taste you expect while looking at the food is different from what you get. It’s not your usual hotel experience,” she said. For bookings or partnership inquiries, visitors can go to www.thenestkigali.com, send an email to reservations@thenestkigali.com, or call 250 790 008 935.
