KENYA HOTELGROUP ‘PRIDE INN’ SHOWS MARKET CONFIDENCE WITH BIG BUCKS INVESTMENT
(Posted 11th September 2015)
One of Kenya’s emerging home grown hotel brands, the three star ranked Pride Inn group, clearly has confidence in the country’s tourism future as it announced a 3.2 billion Kenya Shillings investment package yesterday.
The company has a hotel operating in Nairobi which is set for a major expansion worth half a billion Kenya Shillings it was learned and a Shanzu based hotel is under construction, due to be complete before the high season starts in December this year.
Added properties are under development in Eldoret and Kisumu while the owners have declared their intention to roll out their brands of two and three star hotels into literally all of Kenya’s 47 counties. This concept, originally launched by another local brand where progress was halted however due to lack of available funding, appears to make business sense as county headquarter towns are in need of professionally managed but also affordable hotels of two and three star standard, since few of the county headquarter towns can sustain a four star or even five star property.
Pride Inns, according to its CEO Mr. Hasnain Noorani, has three main brands in their portfolio, the two star Pride Inn Express, the three star Pride Inn and the four star Pride Inn Paradise.
Other local brands have emerged too in recent times, such as Acacia Hotels, owned by the same group which also owns the Villa Rosa Kempinski and the Olare Mara Kempinski, keen to expand into towns across Kenya where five star international brands at present see no major opportunities.
It is clear from such reports that the middle and lower star ranked segment of the Kenyan hospitality market appears to be not only doing well but is marked by strong demand for such branded accommodation.
Meanwhile has it been confirmed that the much awaited opening of the Radisson Blu in Nairobi may now take place in October, with a specific date however still to be confirmed. Watch this space for breaking and regular news from Eastern Africa’s hospitality industry.
