The Hilton Garden Inn hotel under construction on Mombasa Road in Nairobi. PHOTO | FILE
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According to the report, Kenya recorded the largest growth in planned hotels on the continent at 100 per cent followed by Uganda at 90 per cent.
Eight international hotel chains plan to open shop in Kenya by end year. A report by W Hospitality Group says the hotels are expected to grow the country’s bed space by 1,510.
The Kenyan hotel scene is primed for expansion as global brands and local investors look to capture the growing number of business travellers.
According to the report, Kenya recorded the largest growth in planned hotels on the continent at 100 per cent followed by Uganda at 90 per cent.
Nairobi was ranked ninth, by the number of rooms with 1,220 units, but lagged behind Addis Ababa in the top 10 cities.
Of this figure, states the survey, 70 per cent of the rooms are already under construction with the remaining 30 per cent in the pre-planning phase. This means that six of the eight hotels have already broken ground including Radisson Blu, Garden Inn by Hilton, Park Inn by Radisson as well as Accor.
“Pullman’s signed deals in Nairobi, Kinshasa and Addis Ababa are also all on site and are scheduled to open fully by 2017,” reads the report.
Accor is expected to make its entry in the country through Pullman and is expected to open in Westlands by 2016. The Pullman network consists of 77 hotels in 23 countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Asia-Pacific and Latin America.
Located in the world’s key tourism and business destinations, the brand caters for international travellers. Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Blu brand continues to occupy first position in terms of the number of hotels and rooms in the pipeline, including its Upper Hill unit expected to open in September with 256 rooms.
“Its sister brand, Park Inn, is also in the top 10 while the Hilton brand and its “little brother”, Hilton Garden Inn, occupy second and fifth positions respectively,” says the report.
Both hotels are already in the construction phase and have tentative opening dates in the first half of 2016.
The 175-roomed Hilton Garden Inn along Mombasa Road is expected to cost Sh2.3 billion and will be complete by the end of the year.
Other brands not included in the survey but also investing in the local hospitality market include Golf View Hotel and Grand Sapphire with 220 and 196 rooms respectively.
Simba Corporation, which has a stake in Kempinski hotels, invested an additional Sh3.1 billion to set up a chain of mid-priced hotels under the “Acacia Premier” and “Acacia Express” brand.
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