New Sh1b hotel to boost Mt Kenya tourism circuit

Nyeri County is set to welcome a new modern hotel that is expected to boost tourism in the Mt Kenya region.

Bantu Africa Resort is a 93-room boutique hotel located on the Great Northern Road that connects the Coastal town of Mombasa and Egypt through Ethiopia right after the Marwa Junction.

The over Sh1 billion hotel is part of a mixed-use development and is expected to open its doors next year. It is located only a few minutes-drive from the Nyaribo Airstrip.

Part of the ongoing construction works at the Bantu Africa Resort, in Marwa, Nyeri County, Jan. 3, 2016. The entry of the Ultra modern five star hotel into the Mt. Kenya is set to change the hospitality industries landscape. (PHOTO: MOSE SAMMY/ STANDARD)

It offers scenic views of Mt Kenya from guestrooms featuring spacious outdoor balconies. Completing the guest experience will be a private beach club, four exquisite dining outlets, including 3,600-square metres of indoor meeting space.

It will also have a presidential suite on the fifth floor, with a view of the picturesque Mt Kenya, four executive suites each with individual finishes, and eight adjoining family suites.

The hotel will boast an Afro-modern architecture that incorporates a mix of both African architectural design with a tinge of modern interior finishes to complement with the use of clay works, straw and wood materials.

Business traveller

Bantu Africa will have four restaurants: African (will serve deliver delicacies from across the continent and majorly from Central Kenya); Oriental (will serve Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines); Continental; and Indian.

The resort will also have the business traveller in mind as it will have a modern conference/banquetting centre that will have a press gallery.

In addition, two ultra-modern Olympic-size swimming pools will offer aqua sport for residents as well as visitors with a junior pool for the kids. The resort will also have a youths club that shall have a discotheque, hosting mega concerts.

Other major amenities at the resort include an ultra-modern gymnasium, a spa, a beauty studio, a sauna with cubicles and aerobics studio.

For ardent shoppers, there will be a mega supermarket complete with a pastry shop, laundry, mostly stocking fresh farm produce and other products.

There will also be an amusement park featuring a traffic park, a five-kilometre bike/race track that will have bungee cars, a toy shop and an events garden with a capacity for 600 guests.

Boost

The entry of Bantu Africa Resort into the Nyeri and generally the Mt Kenya hospitality is a major boost to the provision of business travellers accommodation within the region. Recently, White Rhino Hotel was refurbished, increasing its bed occupancy by 94 rooms.

“Nyeri County retains its position as one of the world’s top travel destinations and tourism is set to grow. We are seeing an increasing number of travellers looking for hotels where they can get a good night’s rest, in a great location and at a reasonable price,” said Thuo Mathenge, chairman of Bradegate Group, developers of the new hotel.