Another addition in the Nairobi area :banana:The owners of Tribe Hotel are increasing their investments in Gigiri area by building a Sh1.2 billion budget hotel to capture the growing demand from companies and diplomatic institutions.
Green Hills Investment, which runs the Tribe Hotel and Village Market, has informed authorities of its plans to build low-cost hotels to be known as Green Hill which will have 200 rooms and a conference centre.
It is eyeing visitors living in luxury homes surrounding the Gigiri diplomatic zone, which is home to the UN, embassies and foreign staff.
Green Hill will join the growing list of global chains like Radisson Blu, Villa Rosa Kempinski, Best Western and Easy hotels which are expected to set up in Nairobi within the next two years targeting luxury and business travel.
“Majority of visitors and tourists cannot afford the services at Tribe Hotel (a five-star) and the construction of Green Hill Hotel (three-star) will benefit many people as its services will be relatively cheaper,” Green Hills Investment said in a letter to the environmental watchdog Nema.
“Due to the success of Tribe Hotel, the rates achieved through sales to corporate and diplomatic clients have proved expensive for the UN visitors who normally look for less expensive accommodation with the possibility of savings.”
Construction of the hotel will see businesses located within the Village Market shopping complex being displaced in a bid to build 700 new parking spaces and link Green Hill to Tribe.
The building housing Steers restaurant, NIC Bank and Village Bookshop is earmarked for demolition while a Nakumatt Supermarket outlet will be expanded to include a new parking lot.
Water slides and swimming pools will be moved while the popular Maasai Market will close temporarily.
“People who have leased business outlets within the block that will be demolished will lose their businesses,” added Green Hills Investment.
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Greenhills Investment, the developers and managers of Village Market and the Tribe Hotel, are investing Sh4.2 billion ($50 million) on an expansion plan that will see a new shopping annex, hotel, parking and expo centre constructed.
The expansion plan is driven by increased demand for accommodation and retail space in the northern side of the city.
The new plans will see the developers put in place a one-stop shop to start early next year and be completed in two years.
“We are very bullish about the market and positive of what is happening in Kenya,” said a Tribe Hotel director, Mr Hooman Ehsani.
Built over two decades ago, the Village Market was one of the first shopping malls in Nairobi. It started out with 10 shops, and continued to expand and has remained a popular venue over the years.
The new development will take up the space that currently has water slides and swimming pool. The new hotel is expected to have 190 rooms and will be a part of the new extension of the shopping mall.
Guests at the hotel will be able to walk out of the lobby into the mall, as is the case in major shopping centres in South Africa, America and Europe.
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You know what could be cool? Have it on top of the hotel if that's feasible!Yeah they should just do away with that splash of water and put a grand hotel there
The Village Market has just marked 20 years since it opened its doors to the public. How has the journey been?
The journey has been long. When I look around at what we have accomplished, I am amazed by how the Village has grown. We started off with the idea of a small mall, maybe thirty or so shops. It has now blossomed into more than a shopping complex, with close to 200 shops and more to come as we complete phase seven that is currently under construction. We have tenants who have been with us from the beginning. They always support us. The journey we have undertaken together is impactful because of the communication and exchange of ideas that relationships such as these accord us.
Many business establishments have been hit in the wake of security threats and travel advisories. How have you faired on?
We have felt the impact of insecurity. I doubt there is any sector in the country that has not been affected. The strategic location of the Village Market in the middle of a diplomatic zone, surrounded by embassies, and our ties and relationships with our neighbours allow us to be privy to their security updates and information. We are therefore always on top of what is happening and how we should position ourselves. More than ever before, we are investing in technology to assist us in the work and should there be real and credible threat, we would be the first to alert the public. We are committed to using the best technology to screen and vet people who come in and out, the best being our sniffer dogs! We do appreciate any feedback or information that may help us in making the Village Market safe and secure.
A lot of construction has taken place at the complex. Is this an indicator that business is booming and demand for commercial space is on the rise?
Basically, we are responding to the needs and demands of our customers and their changing requirements. There is much interest in Nairobi and East Africa as a whole on the part of the international retailers. They see the growth of the middle class in Kenya and the high rate of economic growth as indicators for securing a presence in the market.
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Started?...Dude, its halfway done.Anyone visit the place recently to see if construction had started?
