Global hotel brands jostling for Kenyan space

Nairobi has been poised as the hub for business travellers in the region in the recent past with international and local names in the hospitality industry jostling for property around the airport area and within the central business district and it’s periphery, including Westlands and Upper Hill.

In the past year alone, over 10 local and international brand names have announced their entry into the local hospitality market, with some already in operation while others are still in the development phase.

Serena, Hilton and InterContinental had dominated the scene for years before names like Sankara, Kempinski and Ole Sereni came in, indicating a growing appetite by investors and travellers for accommodation in the country.

“Visitor numbers to Kenya are expected to increase from 1.9 million in 2012 to 2.4 million in 2017 with the growth driven by China, Russia, the Middle East, India and neighbouring African nations, the country’s National Bureau of Statistics has revealed, so the timing of our entry into this market could not be better,” said Alan O’Dea, senior vice-president Africa, Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts as he announced the hotel chain’s entry plans to Nairobi.

Park Inn by Radisson

The Park Inn Nairobi Westlands is Rezidor’s first Park Inn by Radisson in Kenya and also the first in East Africa.

The new hotel will offer 162 rooms, an RBG grill restaurant, a bar and lobby lounge, two meeting - and two board rooms, a business centre, gym, and rooftop swimming pool and terrace. It will also have 100 parking bays as well as a pool bar. The 4-star business hotel will begin operations in the second half of 2016.

Radisson Blu

Carlson Rezidor’s Radisson Blu brand continues to occupy first position in terms of the number of hotels and rooms in the pipeline in Africa, including its Upper Hill unit which is expected to be operational this month with 271 rooms and suites. The Sh7 billion property features a 600-square-metre ballroom for conferences. The hotel will also have an all-day restaurant and grill, outdoor swimming pool, spa, sauna, fitness centre and an underground car parking with 800 spaces.

Radisson Blu Residence

Carlson Rezidor’s latest project for Kenya is the Radisson Blu Residence, which will be adjacent to State House Nairobi. The announcement was made at the African Hotel Investment Forum (AHIF) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, a fortnight ago. The first Radisson Blu Residence in Kenya will have 123 units and will welcome the first guests in late 2016.

It is Carlson Rezidor’s third project in Nairobi and the group’s fifth Radisson Blu residence in Africa. “Africa is a powerhouse, and we are committed to unlocking the continent’s potential. Africa offers huge opportunities for growth. It plays a key role in our long-term strategy targeting asset-light and sustainable growth in Europe, Middle East and Africa and particularly in emerging markets,” said Wolfgang Neumann, president & CEO of Rezidor in Addis.

Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group is one of the world’s largest hotel groups and includes more than 1,370 hotels in operation in over 110 countries.

Ole Sereni

This local hotel is expanding its property with a Sh1.8 billion investment.

The new building will be a mere 150 metres from the current hotel building. Ole-Sereni 2 will have a bed capacity of 150 rooms and suites in addition to 20 serviced apartments. It will also have 11 meeting rooms, among them an 800-seat ballroom for conferences and meetings.

It is set to serve its first customers in late 2017 to early 2018.

Hilton Garden Inn

The Sh2.3 billion hotel joins 11 Hilton Garden Inn properties already under development in Africa, including Hilton Garden Inn Abuja Airport, and is expected to open in early 2016.

The 171-guest room and suites hotel is located just two kilometres from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport targeting transit local, regional and international visitors.

Built in typical Hilton Garden Inn style, the JKIA hotel will feature more than 300 square metres of events space, a business and fitness centre, outdoor swimming pool as well as the brand signature 24-hour Pavilion Pantry.

“With more than 625 Hilton Garden Inn hotels globally, we are pleased to be adding Kenya and its capital to our portfolio of destinations, which stretches far and wide across the world,” said Adrian Kurre, global head of Hilton Garden Inn.

Hilton has been present in Kenya since 1969 with the Hilton Nairobi in the CBD.

More developments...

Tamarind tree hotel

The Tamarind Group is set to open a four-star hotel in Nairobi next to its flagship Carnivore Restaurant in the second half of next year.

The hotel management company said that the facility will have 162 rooms and is targeting the growing number of business travellers coming into the country.

Accor-Pullman

Hotel Pullman Nairobi in Westlands, an upscale facility, will be located in the business district of this Nairobi suburb close to all national and international institutions and the bubbling city centre. Pullman Nairobi will be open in 2016 and will have 320 rooms, two restaurants, two bars, eight board and meeting rooms, 1 connectivity lounge, fitness and spa with a roof-top pool.

Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) International Real Estate

The hotel, located in Westlands, will have 35 floors. A 25-storey apartment complex will also be built next to the hotel. All the developments will be on a 7.5-acre piece of land and will cost Sh9.6 billion.

Construction has, however, halted following a petition by Villa Rosa Kempinski based on concerns that Nema granted Avic an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licence before concerns it raised about the multibillion-shilling complex were addressed.

Acacia Premier and Express

Simba Corporation, owners of Villa Rosa Kempinski and Olare Mara Kempinski, have invested Sh3.1 billion to set up a chain of mid-priced hotels under the Acacia Premier and Acacia Express brands.

Acacia Premier Kisumu, which began operations in June, features 94 rooms including bay suites and the region’s only presidential suite, three spa rooms, poolside deck, restaurants and a coffee shop. The company leased the building and has invested in fit-out and refurbishment of the four-star hotel located in the leafy Milimani suburb with a view of Lake Victoria.

Construction of the 168-room Acacia Premier Nairobi, to be located along Mpaka Road in Westlands, has begun. The 10-storey hotel will cost about Sh1.8 billion and will feature five restaurants, a club and a conference centre.

Simba Corp has also acquired a two-acre piece of land in Naivasha near the upcoming Buffalo Mall where it will set up a two-star hotel. The Acacia Express Naivasha will be set up at a cost of Sh311 million.

A similar two-star hotel under the Express model will also be built in Westlands along Muthithi Road.

Two Rivers

The mixed development will host two hotels in phase one of the project.

City Lodge Hotel Group, which is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and which also owns Fairview Hotel in Nairobi, will be the developers and hotel operators of the three-star hotel. The hotel will accommodate 170 rooms and is scheduled to be completed in October 2016.

The second five-star hotel will have a separate food and beverage section as well as state-of-the-art conference facilities and a direct connection into the lower level of the retail centre.

Village Market
The hotel, part of the expansion of the mall, will be a mid-level one, with an eye on the business traveller, offering rates of about Sh18,000-Sh20,000 a night.

The new hotel is expected to have 187 rooms with conference facilities to accommodate up to 500 people.

The hotel and conference facilities are slated to begin operations in mid-2016.

Wyndham Hotel Group

The hotel group announced plans to expand into Kenya last year through a franchise agreement for Ramada Nairobi which will be owned and managed by Global Hotels Management.

Ramada will offer 89 guest rooms, including 25 suites, and will be located in Parklands. It will include two meeting rooms and a roof-top banquet hall as well as various food and beverage outlets, including an all-day dining restaurant and specialty restaurants. Guests will have access to a spa, fitness room and indoor pool.

The group also signed an agreement to manage the first upscale Wyndham Hotels and Resorts property in Africa, the Wyndham Amboseli Golf Resort and Spa, close to the Amboseli National Park.

The 290-room resort, complete with an 18-hole golf course, conference centre and spa, is expected to open in 2017, becoming the second Wyndham Hotel Group brand to launch in the country following the signing earlier last year of the first Ramada Hotel in Nairobi.

Wyndham Hotel Group, part of Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, is among world’s largest hotel companies with approximately 7,540 hotels in 71 countries under its various brands.

Mövenpick Hotel and Residences Nairobi

The 223-key upscale Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi, scheduled for completion in mid-2016, will mark the Swiss hospitality brand’s East Africa debut.
The property is located just off of Lower Kabete Road and adjacent to Westgate Shopping Mall, in Westlands.

The 15-storey hotel has key features including a revolving tower with panoramic downtown views plus extensive dining, leisure and meetings facilities.

The Swiss managed hotel, is owned by prominent regional real estate developer, Golf Course Hotel Kenya Ltd.

Targeting the business traveller and the affluent local community with the hotel, the property will also feature 54 contemporary one- and two-bedroom apartments targeting long-stay couples and families.

Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi will offer contemporary African-designed Superior and Deluxe guestrooms, ranging in size from 37 to 42 square metres, plus eight 78-square-metre Suites and one Chairman’s Suite. The rooms will also feature floor-to-ceiling windows and separate dressing rooms.

Recreational facilities include a spa and fitness centre, a large freeform outdoor swimming pool, hair salon and up to six dining options including an all-day-dining outlet, a bar opening out onto the pool and a revolving specialty restaurant.

Conference and event space encompassing a 760-square-metre divisible ballroom, a 1,000-square-metre multi-purpose exhibition hall, 10 flexible meeting rooms, an Executive Club lounge, business centre and 480-space car park.

Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, Of Swiss heritage and with headquarters in central Switzerland (Baar), is represented in 24 countries with 83 hotels, resorts and Nile cruisers currently in operation.

Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport

The 194-room Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Airport will mark Starwood’s entry into Kenya. Owned by AirMarc Ltd, the hotel will be operated under a franchise arrangement and will join the growing number of airport hotels in the pipeline.

The mid-market hotel is scheduled to open in January 2017.

The hotel is part of the Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which manages brands including St Regis, The Luxury Collection, Sheraton and W Hotels, among others. Starwood currently operates nearly 9,500 rooms in 13 countries.