A dispute over salary cuts forced the owners of the property to close its doors indefinitely and sack all staff nearly two years ago.
The hotel, which is run by French hospitality giant Accor, reopens after a revamp as the tourism industry pulls out of its deep Covid-19-induced slump with local travellers taking advantage of lower prices.
Kenya expects the tourism sector, typically one of its top sources of foreign exchange, to earn Sh173 billion this year, up 18.5 percent from last year, the government said.
The doors of Nairobi’s iconic Fairmont The Norfolk will reopen today (Monday) after the facility shut down for over 21 months amid the coronavirus crisis.
A dispute over salary cuts forced the owners of the property to close its doors indefinitely and sack all staff nearly two years ago in a row that followed the disruption and revenue loss arising from the pandemic.
The hotel, which is run by French hospitality giant Accor, reopens after a revamp as the tourism industry pulls out of its deep Covid-19-induced slump with local travellers taking advantage of lower prices.
The closure also came weeks after Saudi billionaire Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal sold his stake in the Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Club to Nepalese tycoon, Binod Chaudhary, for a reported Sh2.8 billion.
The prince has been reorganising his portfolio months after being detained in Saudi Arabia’s sweeping crackdown on corruption.
Kenya expects the tourism sector, typically one of its top sources of foreign exchange, to earn Sh173 billion this year, up 18.5 percent from last year, the government said.
Earnings slumped to Sh88.6 billion in 2020 as governments around the world restricted the movement of people, including through the closure of air spaces, to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
They bounced back to Sh146 billion last year, with the number of hotel nights occupied by Kenyan travellers doubling during the period.
Local resorts, which normally concentrate their marketing efforts on foreign tourists, were forced to turn to the domestic market by the pandemic, offering cut rates to entice holidaymakers. Norfolk is seeking a piece of the growth.
“The hotel and Accor regional team have worked closely together to ensure the hotel and its facilities provide reinvented services in the heart of the city,” the hotel said in a notice announcing the reopening.
Kenya’s coronavirus cases have been dropping steadily amid a rise in the number of people who have been vaccinated. The positivity rate is now at 0.6 percent as the country’s daily coronavirus case count continues to decline amid increased mass vaccinations.
Most five-star hotels rely on tourism, events and conferences which are slowly resuming normal operations.
