IMAGINE YOU OPEN A 5 STAR HOTEL AND FEW IF ANY KNOW ABOUT IT BUT YOURSELF
(Posted 17th October 2014)
It is not an entirely uncommon scenario that a new hotels comes up somewhere across the region and I miss the opening or rather miss about reporting about the opening. It is however less common that a hotel in the 5 star category escapes my eyes and ears and those of my trusted sources who normally tip me off on such developments.
But such happened as I got first a text and then a mail and then a call while travelling back from Naivasha earlier in the week to Nairobi when one of those valued sources, passed the information that an Indian hotel group, going by the name of Royal Orchid, was about to open or had already opened their doors, and with a self-rated 5 stars on the door. Perhaps someone tell me that unbeknown to me did the Kenyan Tourism Regulatory Authority grade and rate the new property and award them 5 stars because how else would they otherwise be able to lay claim to that.
The conversation went back and forth for a while, and no, I was not able to make a quick stop in Westlands as the notorious Nairobi traffic was already taking its toll on my planned timing to reach JKIA in time for my flight back to Uganda and perhaps during my next visit and yes, by all means keep me posted on such new developments.
So, connected as I was, I ran a Google search on the new hotel on my phone and lo and behold, there did pop up a few mentions of it on the web.
In July it was about jobs …
1. Hotel Royal Orchid, Azure Nairobi Jobs in Westlands Kenya …
kenyanjobs.blogspot.com/…/hotel–royal–orchid–azure–nairobi-jobs.html
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Jul 9, 2014 – Hotel Royal Orchid, Azure Nairobi will open its first hotel in Kenya. Thehotel is situated in Nairobi‘s Westlands and it features 170 guest rooms, …
1. Career at Hotel Royal Orchid, Azure Nairobi in Westlands …
www.kenyan2013.com/…/career-at-hotel–royal–orchid–azure–nairobi-in-…
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Jul 10, 2014 – Career at Hotel Royal Orchid, Azure Nairobi in Westlands Kenya Career Opportunities in Hospitality Hotel Royal Orchid, Azure Nairobi Hotel …
After that it went quiet until in September this popped up on Google:
1. Royal Orchid Azure Hotel Nairobi | Westlands Accommodation
www.africanspicesafaris.com/royal–orchid–azure–hotel–nairobi.html
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Sep 6, 2014 – Royal Orchid, Azure Hotel Nairobi is situated in Nairobi’s Lantana Road, Westlands and it features 170 guest rooms, 2 restaurants, Sports bar …
Ooops I thought, how can THAT slip through the net, then checking on the Magical Kenya Travel Expo’s list of participants, thinking surely the new hotel would use that premier platform to advertise itself and showcase their services? Wrong again.
The official exhibitor catalogue shows no presence of the new hotel, leaving one to wonder how the sales and marketing team expects to be known and market their new property, when ignoring such an eminent opportunity, especially considering that the Indian Tourism Board actually exhibited at MKTE 2014.
Well I shall keep an eye on this new place and perhaps spot signs in coming days and weeks that this latest addition to the Nairobi hospitality scene will awake from its slumber and really get going and shout their ‘arrival’ from the rooftops. Good luck with that I thought in closing, for them and for myself.
