Global hotelier Swiss International opens first Nairobi outlet

Global hotel chain Swiss International Hotels & Resorts has opened its first outlet in Nairobi targeting leisure and business travellers.

The 133-room Swiss International Lenana hotel located on Ralph Bunche Road opened last week.

It is owned by Chinese businessman Xiaohu Wei through an entity named China Zhonga Tian Investment Ltd.

It is seeking to capitalise on Nairobi’s stature as a business and diplomatic hub.

The hotel is Swiss International’s first in eastern Africa, with the firm saying it will use Kenya as a launch pad to expand into Rwanda and Ethiopia in the short term.

The Dubai-based hotelier’s pipeline in Kenya includes Swiss International Resort Mount Kenya currently under construction and set to open in the first quarter of 2018 and another facility under the Royal City brand in Kisumu set for early 2017.

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“As a brand one of the focus markets for expansion has always been Africa for us. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya and that of eastern Africa,” said Henri Kennedie, the Swiss International chairman and chief executive.

“Our target clientele is both leisure and business travelers, both domestic as well as international,” Mr Kennedie told the Business Daily.

Swiss International Lenana said it is also banking on its proximity to the central business district, government offices and embassies located in Upper Hill, to be an ideal address for investors and bureaucrats.

The hotelier has several brands: Royal Swiss (luxury), Swiss International, The Residences by Swiss International (upscale), and midscale brand Swiss Spirit Inns. Mr Kennedie declined to reveal the amount invested din putting up the hotel saying the owner wanted to ‘keep this confidential.’

Swiss International Hotels, which operates 30 hotels globally, will run the Nairobi facility through a management contract.

Swiss International Lenana features six conference and meeting rooms for business meetings and events, two restaurants, a bar and lounge under the Ted & Co brand, gym, swimming pool, and an open air sky bar on the 10th floor of the hotel.

The projected revenue mix from the Nairobi facility will consist 55 per cent from accommodation and the remaining 45 per cent coming from food and beverage division, said Mr Kennedie.