The 36-year-old is eyeing a private jet next as well as owning an airline company straddling all over Africa.
London, where he studied manufacturing engineering and management, remains dear to his heart and he keeps going back to shop.
With his busy schedule, it means that he is always travelling, but he sets aside Friday afternoons as family time.
‘‘I love good shoes that are fairly priced at about Sh15,000, but I take a keen attention on my suits that define who I am. I buy them in London at say, Sh100,000. The London tailors know my size and their suits fit me well,’’ says Hasnain Noorani, who founded Pride Group and oversees 15 hotels, tour and vehicle-leasing companies.
London, where he studied manufacturing engineering and management, remains dear to his heart and he keeps going back to shop.
‘‘The city runs on wheels and its fashion, clothes, designer watches and shoes are world-class,’’ he says.
He wears a Sh70,000 Tissot watch (a Swiss luxury brand) because he likes timepieces with visible illuminating dials and ‘‘it is easy on the eye and a rare find around town.’’
The 36-year-old is eyeing a private jet next as well owning an airline company straddling all over Africa.
On parenting, his three children are raised by his stay-at-home wife. She is an accomplished fashion designer and dreams of starting her line one day.
‘‘I never chose it but she preferred to be a full-time mum. I am always ready to support her enterprise when she starts it.’’
With his busy schedule, it means that he is always travelling, but he sets aside Friday afternoons as family time.
‘‘I sit around the house, play hide-and-seek games with my children. If need be, we dine out once in a while.’’
Saturday mornings are for catching up with his general managers, exchanging ideas and receiving progress reports. He says he allows them to make decisions leaving him with adequate time to plan business expansion.
‘‘A leader must delegate and trust his managers or else you risk remaining in the same single shop and spot.’’
To keep fit, he jogs for five kilometres on week days and occasionally plays badminton. His new indulgence is paragliding.
‘‘I have parachuted three times at 10,000 feet, 13,000 feet and 15,000 feet. Next time, I will jump at 22,000 feet to get a feeling of what it takes to jump from the same altitude a commercial airplane cruises at. I live on the edge, effecting risky investments but they pay off. For instance, I bought Flamingo Beach Resort a week to the elections... Kenya is a great country with lot of opportunities to make money.’’
The most expensive gift he has given is a Nissan Patrol car.
‘‘I gave it to my father for his 60th birthday but myself I love driving a 2015 Toyota Land Cruiser V8.’’
He loves nyama choma, soup made with a goat’s head and ugali on any day. ‘‘In all our eight hotels in Nairobi, Mombasa and soon in Kisumu, we serve local dishes from indigenous vegetables to local delicacies by various communities,’’ says the serial entrepreneur, adding that when he came back to Kenya, he realised hoteliers had segmented clients as high-end, those paying Sh30,000 a night and low-end, paying Sh1,200.
He thought different. He bet on the middle-income segment which paid off. ‘‘We invested Sh100 million in our first hotel in Westlands, Nairobi, providing customers with a place to sleep, good food and a secure environment.’’
He believes the adage that the customer is right must end. First, make the employees happy and they will give their best to a business.
‘‘I rarely fire people even during bad times since I rely on the same people to support me, work long hours during good times.’’
