Afghanistan’s sole luxury hotel, the Serena Hotel in Kabul, ceased operations on Saturday as management was transferred to a Taliban-run corporation. Nestled in beautifully landscaped gardens overlooking Zarnegar Park, the hotel, originally opened in 1945 as the Kabul Hotel, has witnessed a tumultuous history marked by war and reconstruction.
Heavily damaged over decades, the hotel was revitalized in 2005 by the Aga Khan Development Network, featuring a design by Canadian architect Ramesh Khosla that embraced classical Islamic architecture. Renamed Serena Kabul Hotel, it was inaugurated by former Afghan president Hamid Karzai, who was present during two significant Taliban attacks on the property in 2008 and 2014. The last assault occurred in 2021, a pivotal year when the Taliban regained control following the collapse of the Western-backed government.
In a notification issued on Friday, the hotel announced its closure effective February 1, 2025, citing nearly two decades of dedicated service to Afghanistan and its citizens. The operations will now fall under the Hotel State Owned Corporation, which confirmed to Arab News that the Serena Hotels group’s contract was terminated five years early. An official from the corporation expressed confidence in managing the hotel, noting their experience running several other establishments throughout the country.
The future of the hotel’s five-star service remains uncertain, as it primarily catered to foreigners with upscale dining options. According to Afghan American journalist Ali Latifi, the hotel never truly resonated with the average Afghan. “Most Afghans couldn’t afford to spend the night or have a meal there… only a select group of highly privileged people have fond memories of hours spent at the Serena,” he noted.
The hotel also made headlines for an infamous gaffe by an Indian news anchor in 2021, who mistakenly claimed that Pakistan’s intelligence agency operated from its fourth floor, despite the hotel only having two levels.
Mirwais Agha, a local taxi driver who witnessed the hotel’s construction, had never set foot inside. “I only saw the cement walls and big cars getting in through the doors every time I passed by. It was not for common people like us,” he reflected. “You had to pay dollars to get a meal in the hotel. It doesn’t really mean anything for us if it’s closing or its management is being changed. It never belonged to us.”
As the Serena Hotel closes a chapter in its storied history, it leaves behind a legacy of privilege that starkly contrasts with the daily realities of most Afghans.
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