HYATT PLACE AND HYATT HOUSE DUE TO OPEN IN #NAIROBI IN 2020
(Posted 27th September 2018)
Ahead of the upcoming Africa Hotel Investment Forum, in short #AHIF, which will take place in Nairobi this year again from the 02nd to the 04th of October, has Hyatt announced plans to open two properties in the Kenyan capital.
Both a Hyatt Place with about 175 rooms and suites and a Hyatt House – focusing on longer stay clientele wishing to have more space but not foregoing hotel services – with 60 serviced apartments, should open in 2020 according to the developers.
Given the delays seen with other global brands in opening their properties, including the rather mediocre architectural copycat property in Westlands resembling the Golf Course Hotel in Kampala, may this be an ambitious target, but when complete – both hotel and serviced apartments are also located in Westlands – will yet more rooms be added to an increasingly crowded secondary business hub.
The Westlands market continues to be led by the presently only five star #Sankara Hotel in this part of Nairobi. Other global brands which opened in the area like the four star Park Inn by Radisson, a three star Ibis Styles – formerly a Tune Inn – and a Moevenpick will sooner or later also be joined by a 300 room Pullman Hotel, one of the Accor brands. Westlands is also home to the four star Jacaranda Hotel, the first to be built in this part of town well before the explosive development commenced which this part of Nairobi has seen over the past three decades.
All the hotels are keen on the meeting and conference market and inhouse facilities will be complemented by a new conference centre which is rising in the centre of Westlands with multiple meeting and conference rooms including a main theatre with a capacity of reportedly up to 2.500 people. Once that new centre is open will Nairobi at last have a (almost) downtown state of the art new convention centre, perhaps giving the KICC in the heart of the city time to roll out a complete technical overhaul and refurbishment which is long overdue.
