Two months after the closure of the iconic Hilton Hotel, the Kenya Association of Hotel Keepers and Caterers CEO Mike Macharia, on Monday, February 27, revealed why the hotel had to shut down.
According to the CEO, the noisy Kencom stage adjacent to the hotel was a major reason for the closure of the Hilton Hotel owing to noise pollution.
Macharia explained that the hotel double-glazed the rooms to keep the noises at bay but was, soon after, faced by the fresh air problem.
“The greatest challenge was the Kencom bus station where there was a lot of noise in the morning. The hotel went ahead and double-glazed their rooms to keep out the noise which in turn brought about a lack of fresh air in the rooms,” he disclosed.
The CEO also noted that the changing business environment in the Central Business District (CBD) and customer demands affected the enterprise.
According to Macharia, the huge congestion in Kimathi and Moi Avenues dented the chances of the hotel thriving.
“Previously, customers would book a room for a night but that changed to three to four nights. The guests would need a place with fresh air and quick access to shopping malls.
"The CBD was encroached on by huge human traffic along the Kimathi and Moi Avenue making the place unattractive" he opined.
Additionally, the closure has affected business operators in the capital who have lamented a slow, and lack of business since closure.
“Previously, we would chauffeur tourists around the CBD, airports and sometimes out of Nairobi to other destinations, that has since changed as we have no customers,” Maina, a taxi operator, decried.
Macharia, however, called for cooperation between the National and County governments as well as the hospitality sector players to salvage the hoteliers in the capital from suffering.
"What we need is a single plan to revive the city hotel businesses by bringing on board all the sector players," he advised.
The closure of Hilton would result in the franchise announcing that it was opening a new hotel called ‘Kwetu Nairobi, Curio Collection by Hilton’ located along Peponi Road in Nairobi’s Kitisuru area overlooking Karura Forest.
“We are opening in February 2023 but aren’t accepting reservations yet,” the hotel disclosed on its website.
The landmark hotel had been in operation since the late 1960s.
