In April 1994, a four-story luxury hotel in Kigali, Rwanda, with 112 guest rooms and three restaurants, became an unlikely refuge from one of the world's fastest and most devastating genocides. The Hôtel des Mille Collines, built by the Belgian airline Sabena in 1973 and named for Rwanda's nickname "Land of a Thousand Hills," would shelter 1,248 people, both Hutus and Tutsis, during 100 days of horrific mass violence that claimed an estimated 800,000 lives.

The genocide exploded on April 6, 1994, when a surface-to-air missile struck the airplane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana as it prepared to land in Kigali. The attack killed everyone on board, including Burundi's President Cyprien Ntaryamira. Habyarimana's death triggered Hutu extremists to systematically hunt down and murder Tutsis, whom they blamed for the assassination, along with moderate Hutus who opposed the killing. For 100 days, from April 7 to July 19, 1994, Rwandan militias and military forces carried out organized slaughter so complete that neighbors turned against neighbors and family members killed family members. Bodies accumulated in streets, churches, and rivers. The violence finally ended when a Tutsi rebel group defeated government forces in mid-July.

During this nightmare, the Hôtel des Mille Collines emerged as a sanctuary under the management of Paul Rusesabagina, a man of both Hutu and Tutsi heritage who held a temporary manager position at the hotel. Rusesabagina used his connections with Hutu military and political leaders, combined with strategic bribing using hotel money, to keep soldiers away from the building and protect those sheltering inside. He maintained the hotel's operations and provided food and accommodation to desperate refugees fleeing the genocide. However, his actions remain controversial. While he is credited with saving 1,248 lives, with not a single refugee or staff member killed at the hotel, accusations persist that Rusesabagina demanded payment from refugees for their shelter, raising questions about whether his motives mixed humanitarian concern with financial gain.

The hotel's extraordinary role during the genocide became known worldwide after the 2004 film "Hotel Rwanda" dramatized Rusesabagina's story, with American actor Don Cheadle portraying the manager. The movie earned international acclaim and several award nominations, though survivors of the actual genocide have questioned how accurately it depicted events. Nevertheless, the film introduced millions to a story of human courage in the face of mass atrocity. Today, the Hôtel des Mille Collines continues operating as a luxury hotel in Kigali. Rwanda's government holds a small 2.5 percent stake as a minority owner, while the property operates as an independent hotel. Paul Rusesabagina now lives in San Antonio, Texas, as a permanent U.S. resident, his legacy forever linked to one of history's darkest episodes and a moment when one building became a fragile island of safety in a sea of violence.