The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel

The hotel is named specifically in the UK Foreign Office’s travel warning

Feb 1, 2025 - 21:01

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The Taliban take over Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel

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The Taliban are taking over the operations of Afghanistan’s only luxury hotel in Kabul, more than a decade after they launched a deadly attack there that killed nine people.

The Serena Hotel said Friday it was closing its operations in the Afghan capital on Febuary 1, with the Hotel State Owned Corporation taking over. The corporation is overseen by the finance ministry.

The finance ministry wasn't immediately available for comment. Neither the Serena nor the government clarified the terms under which the hotel was changing hands.

The Taliban first targeted the Serena in 2008 and again in 2014. Acting Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani acknowledged planning the 2008 attack, which killed eight, including U.S. citizen Thor David Hesla.

FIAfghans walk by the Serena hotel in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan, March 21, 2014. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus, File)

The UK Foreign Office currently warns the country is “extremely dangerous”.

In May 2024, three Spanish tourists were killed in a shooting while on a guided tour in Bamiyan, Central Afghanistan.

The Foreign office adds: “If you choose to travel to or stay in Afghanistan against FCDO advice, be aware that terrorists have a strong desire to target public places frequented by foreign nationals. This could include restaurants and hotels used by foreigners, such as the Serena in Kabul.”

The Serena Hotel:

A statement from the Serena, a brand owned by the Aga Khan Fund for Economic Development, said it had trained thousands of Afghan nationals, hosted large numbers of foreign guests and delegations, and set high international benchmarks in hospitality standards.

It asked people to direct their queries to the Hotel State Owned Corporation. Kabul no longer appears as a destination on the Serena website.

According to information on the finance ministry website, the corporation’s mission is to revive and develop Afghanistan’s hotel industry. It operates three other hotels in Afghanistan, two in Kabul and one in the eastern city of Nangarhar.

A picture taken 14 January 2008 after a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Serena Hotel in Kabul

A picture taken 14 January 2008 after a Taliban suicide bomber blew himself up outside the Serena Hotel in Kabul (AFP via Getty Images)

Tourism official Mohammad Saeed told The Associated Press last year that he wanted Afghanistan to become a tourism powerhouse.

At that time, in a sign the country was preparing for more overseas visitors, the Serena reopened its women’s spa and salon for foreign females after a monthslong closure, only to shut them again under pressure from authorities.

The Taliban have barred women from gyms, public spaces including parks, and education. Last year, they ordered the closure of beauty salons, allegedly because they offered services forbidden by Islam.