According to Atlas Obscura, Rwanda's Hôtel des Mille Collines holds a profound place in recent history. Built in nineteen seventy-three by Belgian airline Sabena, the luxury hotel was named for Rwanda's nickname: the Land of a Thousand Hills. But during the one thousand nine hundred ninety-four Rwandan Genocide, it became a sanctuary. Over a hundred days of violence that claimed an estimated eight hundred thousand lives, manager Paul Rusesabagina kept the hotel open as a shelter, eventually protecting one thousand two hundred forty-eight refugees—both Tutsi and Hutu. Using bribery and connections with Hutu elites, Rusesabagina prevented massacre at a location where neighbors had turned violently against one another. None sheltered at the hotel were killed. The events inspired the film Hotel Rwanda, though survivors have questioned its accuracy. Today, the Hôtel des Mille Collines operates as a luxury hotel, with Rwanda's government holding a two point five percent stake. Rusesabagina now lives in San Antonio, Texas, as a permanent U.S. resident.

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