MARASA COMPLETES TAKEOVER OF ‘THE ARK’ AND ‘ABERDARE COUNTRY CLUB’
Information here alluded to some months ago already has now finally been confirmed, which was bringing two prime Kenya properties into the fold of the Madhvani Group.
Following their acquisition last year of a tented safari camp in the Masai Mara, Marasa has indeed taken advantage of Fairmont Kenya Hotels wishing to scale back their presence in the Kenyan market by taking over the famous tree-hotel ‘The Ark’ inside the Aberdare National Park, which came in a package together with the base hotel ‘The Aberdare Country Club’ – a fine property near Mweiga, outside Nyeri in the central highlands, complete with its own 9 hole golf course. The club is also sporting a heated swimming pool – a necessity considering the elevation of the club – which is supplemented by a squash court and tennis courts for visitors keen to exercise their favourite sport.
More ‘down to earth’ than its erstwhile ‘noble cousin, the Mount Kenya Safari Club’ in Nanyuki which remains in the Fairmont portfolio, the Aberdare Country Club has long been one of this correspondent’s personal favourites in Kenya, as it offers nearly as many facilities as its more illustrious and better known ‘rival’ but also permits more casual house rules.
Marasa has already committed to a forthcoming refurbishment of the two added Kenyan properties, which now makes it the most successful and wide spread Ugandan hospitality business on the market. The company also confirmed that they are intent to add more properties to their Kenyan circuit in due course to establish a presence in other key tourism areas across Kenya, including the coast.
It is understood that the Kenyan government is also in the process of expanding and upgrading the airfield in nearby Mweiga, where visitors can take to the skies in gliders, or else take a ‘proper’ sightseeing flight across the central Kenyan plains and the Aberdare mountains.
Well done Marasa for doing Uganda proud and ‘reversing the trend’ by venturing into Kenya.
