Source :businessdailyafrica.com, Saturday, February 22, 2014 ·The very word suite suggests privilege and conjures up an image of luxury with a butler at your beck and call. No doubt about it, these suites offer some of the best places to stay in the city.
Here suite does not refer to the junior suites which often offer little more than a few square feet of space and a desk to work on. The reference is the top-end suites in the city; the presidential and executive suites.
There are few presidential suites in the city with most hotels offering executive suites with top of the end amenities and privilege services.
InterContinental has the biggest Presidential suite in the city with 2,340-square-feet. This is a room that has hosted many heads of states, dignitaries and corporate captains.
Tribe, Sarova Stanley, Villa Rosa Kempinski, Boma Hotel, Nairobi Serena and Hemingway’s also boast luxurious presidential suites.
In September last year, many city hotels, especially the InterContinental, were a buzz as a large Nigerian delegation landed in Nairobi led by their president Goodluck Jonathan and some of the continent’s richest men.
The president stayed at InterContinental’s Presidential Suite while Africa’s richest man, Aliko Dangote, took up one of the executive suites. In such a case, priority is given to the head of state, and not necessarily to the person who has the money.
In a case where two or more heads of state are booked in the same hotel, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advices who gets which room. In most instances, in such a case, the oldest states man, in terms of service at the helm of his country gets priority.
Step into the presidential suite at the InterContinental and it’s a whole different world. It is bigger than some of the upcoming apartments in the city suburbs.
Designed with a mix of furniture sourced locally and internationally, this is one of the most popular Presidential suites in the city with sound proof rooms and access to a private phone line.
For bed and breakfast accommodation per night, the suite costs Sh258,000 ($3,000) excluding tax. However, with this fee, one can enjoy a wide range of drinks, including hard liquor, butler service and express check-in.
This room has hosted US vice president J oe Biden, former US secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni has been known to frequent it along with other African heads of states and dignitaries.
The hotel also boasts executive suites, which have a sleeping and dining area whose prices range from Sh215,000 to Sh249,000 ($2,500 to $2,900).
“You have to keep the standards high, and give the guest top priority,” said Christine Njeremani, InterContinental’s front office manager during a tour.
On the fourth floor of the Sarova Stanely are the executive and presidential suites. There is a double door separating the presidential suite, with one room on the left ideal for an aide or security person. The room feels like an English country living room with its deep green walls and polished wood. The room boasts antiques, a walk-in closet, Jacuzzi and a bidet and comes at Sh86,000 ($1,000).
On the same floor are the Delamere and Lamu suites. The Delemare has two bedrooms and a connecting sitting room while the Lamu suite boasts furniture, decoration and a feel of the coastal culture.
The bright white walls in the Lamu suite give the room an airy feel and contrast with the hardwood furniture. All the suites have walk-in closets, piped music connected to the DVD player and a Jacuzzi.
The suites go for Sh60,200 ($700), however for Sh68,000 ($800) you can enjoy the penthouse which boasts a large landing area ideal for hosting parties or meetings.
Tribe Hotel, Sankara and the Nairobi Serena have managed to marry modern furniture and traditional African art giving their suites a unique feel.
Its prime location has seen Nairobi Serena remain one of the most popular hotels in the city hosting many dignitaries.
Many heads of state have been known to reside at this hotel which boasts a wide variety of superior rooms which retail from Sh55,900 ($650) including the State Suite. This room has a living room, dining room and a kitchenette where guests can have their meals prepared.
Whole wings
The Tribe hotel boasts a two-level penthouse suite, connected by a mahogany staircase. It has a living room, walk-in closet, ceiling windows among other features with the bedroom and bath occupying the top level. This 1,000-square-feet suite goes for Sh85,914 ($999).
With Sh128,914 one can upgrade to the 1,100-square-feet presidential suite. VIPs with security detail or aides are able to secure the whole wing which has the ambassadorial suite, deluxe room and a security room.
“For those ultra-VIP guests, we are the only hotel in the city with a designated helipad and at least once a month, we have guests who land directly at the hotel from Masai Mara, the Coast, Laikipia or straight from the airport after their international flight,” said Tribe Hotel’s Hooman Ehsani.
Sankara hotel has original art, sourced from artists from across the region, in its two executive suites, Ajabu and Anasa, which sit on 76-square-feet each.
The rooms boast two different decors, one contemporary and the other with a more African feel, with woven wall paper from Belgium, hand woven rags from France, marble from Italy and Greece. Guests can have either of the suites for Sh60,200 ($700).
Fairmont Norfolk hotel boasts four top-end suites, which were just recently refurbished, and which are named after iconic leaders such as Jomo Kenyatta and Harry Thuku.
The newly opened Hemingway’s hotel in Karen, boasts a 2,583-square-foot suite for Sh172,000 ($2,000) a night.
These rooms offer more than just top-end luxury; they offer privacy and security which are major factor for many of the dignitaries who stay at these hotels.
Some of the hotels provide a room for security personnel just outside the main suite and have a private door securing the whole area.
There is demand for these high-end rooms. The presidential suite at the InterContinental was booked 10 months cumulative, last year while Sankara and Serena had an average occupancy of about 60 per cent in their suites.
These rooms are not reserved for presidents, corporate captains or other dignitaries, no. If you can pay, then it’s yours. Demand for the suites is increasing as a growing number of international elite travels to the region, be it for business or leisure.
And it is not only reserved to people visiting the country. Local residents are also known to check out of their homes, be it for a weekend getaway due to renovations at home, and check into these rooms.
“It does happen where we get a few Kenyans who check in for a weekend or for a special occasion,” said Sankara’s general manager, Moshi Perera.
There are also those who pay for these rooms, especially executive suites, for private lunches, dinners or meetings.
Some of the hotels have had quirky demands from these high-end clients. In one hotel, a client had photos of her pet cat flown in and placed strategically in the room a day before her arrival.
Despite the space, price and services that the top-end rooms in Nairobi cost, they cannot compare to what is offered in other markets.
Hotels that have made it to the World’s most Expensive hotel suites featured by both Forbes magazine and CNN.
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