Best Western® Hotels & Resorts (BestWestern.com) adds another hotel to its East African portfolio. The newest addition is BW Premier Collection The Alba, located in Nairobi, Kenya. Centrally located, with easy access to businesses, offices, banks, shopping and tourist attractions, it is the ideal place to stay in Nairobi for either business or pleasure.
Hilton Worldwide (NYSE:HLT) has signed a management agreement with Jabavu Village Ltd to open a 255 guest-room and suite hotel in Kenya's capital. The hotel is set to open in 2020 and joins 50 Hilton Hotels & Resorts properties trading or under development in 17 countries across Africa."In recent years Upper Hill has grown to become a hub for international businesses and organisations, with a number of embassies and organisations setting up their regional offices in the district, including Cisco Systems, World Bank and the IMF," said Patrick Fitzgibbon, senior vice president, development, EMEA, Hilton Worldwide. "The striking new- build property will pierce the skyline of Upper Hill and will be well placed to meet this growing demand in one of Nairobi's most exciting and colourful areas."Kenya is one of Africa's fastest growing economies with strong growth in agricultural, tourism, construction and telecommunication sectors. The country's diversifying economy means it is a popular destination, busy with leisure and business travellers.Mr Mahat Noor, Project Director of Jabavu Village Ltd, said, "Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill is our first project with Hilton and we are tremendously excited to be collaborating with them on this spectacular development. Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill and the larger mixed-use development, which will include a residential, retail and entertainment complex, as well as an adjacent office tower, will be Africa's tallest building, standing at 330m."Co-developed by Jabavu Village and White Lotus Projects, Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill will comprise of an Executive Lounge and five food and beverage outlets, including a relaxing poolside bar, speciality smokehouse and grill restaurant, lobby dining area with landscaped deck and a boutique rooftop bar with unbeatable vista views of the Nairobi skyline on the 43rd level.Business travellers will have a wide choice of professional facilities to choose from including a ballroom and meeting rooms of approximately 1400sqm. Guests will also have access to an outdoor pool and fitness and spa centres."The iconic Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill will be our 50th Hilton Hotels and Resorts property trading or under development in Africa," said Jim Holthouser, executive vice president, global brands, Hilton Worldwide. "Reaching this milestone is a testament to Hilton's love of hospitality, which has helped drive the brands growth across the continent since first introduced with the opening of Hilton Addis Abba (http://APO.af/HzCX1r) and Hilton Nairobi (http://APO.af/JsgQmh) in 1969."Hilton is set to double its presence in Africa in the next three to five years and is focused on further development prospects all over the continent, entering new countries but also growing in areas with an existing Hilton presence.Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill joins one other Hilton Worldwide hotel under development in Kenya. Hilton Garden Inn Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (http://apo.af/NglrKp) will be situated just 2km from the capital's airport and is set to open next year. Hilton Nairobi Upper Hill will be situated 16km from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, on Upper Hill Road, Upper Hill, Nairobi, Kenya.For more information about Hilton Hotels & Resorts visit www.Hilton.com. View more news and access images at news.Hilton.com.
The highly anticipated Grand Opening of the dusitD2 Nairobi, Dusit International's first hotel in sub-Saharan Africa, took place recently on 30th March. Nestled along Nairobi's leafy and secure Riverside Drive suburb, it's just minutes from the clamour of the central business district and merely a stone's throw away from the heart of vibrant Westlands. This is the company's second foray into Africa, following the successful launch of the Dusit Thani LakeView Cairo in Egypt in 2009.
Hyatt Hotels & Resorts has selected Tejas Shah as Hyatt’s first ever director of development in Africa. In this role, Shah will be responsible for driving growth and brand awareness for Hyatt throughout the continent. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Shah will be responsible for enhancing Hyatt’s brand expansion efforts across Africa, working with Peter Norman, senior vice president, real estate and development, for Hyatt in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Davide Bertilaccio has been appointed area general manager for the Fairmont Kenya collection of hotels – Fairmont The Norfolk, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club and Fairmont Mara Safari Club.
The first few months of the year have been challenging for hoteliers with RevPAR down significantly. The recent increase in bombings has also led some tour operators to repatriate their guests and cancel all flights until October. What is needed is a period of calm to foster stronger confidence in the security in the country. Whilst it is easy to criticise over-reaction to events and sensationalist journalism, no-one will travel to a country or city in which they feel unsafe. Many of the recent events in Nairobi have centred around the Eastleigh area of the city; an area few tourists would visit. Yet at first glance the media reports suggest the whole of Nairobi is off limits. Of course, all visitors must take sensible precautions and heed advice from government and security sources, but now is a time for all parties to hold their nerve and continue to support the somewhat beleaguered Nairobi hotel industry.
Wyndham Hotel Group, the world’s largest hotel company with approximately 7,500 hotels and part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN), today announced plans to expand into Kenya after signing a franchise agreement for Ramada Nairobi, the first Wyndham Hotel Group property in the country.
The Africa Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF), which is the premier hotel investment conference in Africa, attracting many prominent international hotel owners, investors, financiers, management companies and their advisers, will head back to Kenya's capital, Nairobi later this year. AHIF will be held at the InterContinental Hotel on September 30 – October 1st 2014.
One of Asia's leading hospitality groups, Dusit International, begins its "Year of Expansion" with the announcement of dusitD2 nairobi, the group's second property on the African continent. The announcement takes the form of a "Hard Hat" event tonight where select guests and media are invited to don a hard hat, walk the site, and familiarise themselves with the location of the hotel slated to open in Q3 2013.
Bernard Mercier was recently appointed as Kempinski’s first General Manager, for the soon-to-open Kempinski Villa Rosa in Nairobi, as well as overseeing the Olare Mara Kempinski, an existing property being taken under Kempinski branding, management, and marketing. Bernard joins the newly-built Nairobi Kempinski from China, where he last year opened a new Kempinski Resort on the island of Hainan before transferring to Kenya. Bernard started his hospitality career with InterContinental Hotels but also gained experience with Starwood’s Sheraton, Hilton, and more recently the Kempinski Group.Bernard is joined by Executive Chef Hans Lentz who has gained his experience at the Al Bustan Palace, the Addis Ababa Sheraton, and the InterContinental in Chicago, by Britta Krug as Director of Sales and Marketing, Lydia Liu as Marketing and Communications Manager, and notably has Miss Shikha Nayar joined the Kempinski in Kenya as e-Commerce Manager, after leaving the Nairobi InterConti earlier on to find a new professional challenge.
Set to open on July 15th 2009, the Mivumo River Lodge comprises 12 superior rooms and 3 premium luxury suites decorated in an elegant African style of a bygone era incorporating local materials from the region. Each superior room consists of a luxurious bedroom and lounge with a private balcony offering an indoor bathroom, outdoor shower and an intimate plunge pool. To ensure privacy and exclusivity, the rooms are spread out and strategically located along the mighty Rufiji River, all with magnificent views of the breathtaking Stiegler’s gorge.