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Thai Westlands suites to open in December

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Park Inn by Radisson in Westlands, Nairobi. It is run by the Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group. PHOTO | SALATON NJAU

Thai hospitality giant Minor-backed Avani Hotels and Resorts has expanded its portfolio to Kenya with the planned opening of new luxury suites in the upmarket Nairobi Westlands district in December.

The 120-apartment 15-storey property dubbed Avani Nairobi Suites will feature a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments, as well as an indoor swimming pool, fitness centre, restaurant and rooftop bar, the hospitality group said.

The hotel will add to Avani’s growing presence in Africa, joining existing properties in Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique and Lesotho.

The Avani brand is part of Thailand’s Minor Hotels group, and currently operates more than 30 properties across Thailand, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Seychelles, Mozambique, Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, the UAE, Portugal, Australia and New Zealand.

Two of its most recent openings are the Avani Adelaide Residences and Avani Melbourne Box Hill Residences.

The brand also opened its third Bangkok hotel last year.

“This fantastic expansion opportunity will mark the debut of Avani into East Africa reflecting the growing international demand for the brand,” said Javier Pardo, Avani Hotels and Resorts vice president.

“With Avani already present with six properties in southern Africa in addition to a very successful resort in Seychelles, this is a significant strategic step for the brand to debut in Kenya.”

The Avani Nairobi Suites is currently under development by Fedha Group, a Kenyan real estate developer.

“We are thrilled to partner with Fedha Group for this new property in Nairobi’s strategic Westlands district, introducing the Avani brand in Kenya and bridging with our strong existing leisure offering across East Africa,” said Ramine Behnam, vice president in charge of Development at EMEA Minor Hotels in a statement.

Kenya and South Africa were in 2017 tipped as the next continental hotspots in luxury hotel investment.

This came against the backdrop of a string of heavy investments by leading luxury hotels in Kenya in the last three years. The list includes Accor Hotels, Hilton, Carlson Rezidor, and Acacia Premier.