When Christine Mbabazi founded Nature Kigali three years ago, she wasn't simply opening another hotel. She envisioned a boutique stay where every guest would feel at home, a place for family staycations, business travellers, tourists, and milestone celebrations, all set against the tranquil surroundings of Kigali's Nyarutarama neighbourhood.
Today, Nature Kigali offers six thoughtfully designed guest rooms, a restaurant, a playground and farm experience for children, and an event hall that hosts up to 150 guests. It's a property designed around comfort, convenience and memorable experiences.
As the business grew, so did the need for technology that could keep pace. Rather than adopting separate solutions for bookings, payments and operations, Nature Kigali partnered with Pesapal to connect every stage of the guest journey.
Turning enquiries into confirmed bookings
Like many hospitality businesses, Nature Kigali receives bookings from multiple channels, including Google recommendations, Booking.com and direct enquiries. While interest was never a challenge, converting enquiries into confirmed bookings sometimes was.
"We wanted a way to reduce booking cancellations," says Christine Mbabazi, Founder and CEO of Nature Kigali.
With Pesapal Payment Links, the team can generate a secure payment link and send it directly to guests before arrival. Guests complete their payment online, confirming their reservation in just a few clicks.
The result is a smoother booking process for guests and greater confidence for the business, knowing that reservations are secured before check-in.
Bringing every booking into one place
As bookings increased across different online travel agencies (OTAs), managing reservations manually became increasingly time-consuming. Previously, the team had to monitor each OTA individually, updating availability across multiple platforms.
Today, Reserveport's Channel Manager brings those booking channels into one central system, making it easier to manage inventory, reduce manual work and maintain accurate room availability across every platform.
Instead of switching between different booking sites, the team can manage reservations from one place, giving them more time to focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences.
Making payments and operations simpler
The guest experience doesn't end at check-in, and neither does the technology supporting it.
Whether guests are paying for accommodation, dining or events, the Pesapal POS enables fast, cashless payments while giving the business immediate visibility into every transaction.
For Christine, the value extends far beyond accepting payments.
"The reporting available through the Pesapal dashboard has made managing the business much easier," she explains. "It has simplified reconciliation, reduced the time we spend tracking transactions, and given us clearer data to support planning."
Rather than treating payments as a separate function, Nature Kigali now uses transaction data to better understand its operations and make more informed business decisions.
One connected experience for guests and the business
At Nature Kigali, every part of the guest journey is connected. A guest discovers the property through an online travel agency, Reserveport keeps availability synchronised across booking channels, a Pesapal Payment Link secures the reservation before arrival, and the Pesapal POS makes paying during their stay quick and convenient. Behind the scenes, every transaction is captured in one dashboard, making reconciliation and reporting simpler for the team.
For Christine, that's what a true partnership looks like.
"We were looking for a visionary partner that is driven by growth," she says. "Pesapal has been responsive, attentive to detail and solution-oriented."
As Nature Kigali continues to grow, having bookings, payments and operational insights working together in one connected ecosystem is helping the team spend less time managing systems and more time creating the personalised hospitality experience they set out to build.
