Coast hotels to be rated and classified afresh, says Tourism Regulatory Authority

MOMBASA, KENYA: Kenya's tourist hotels and establishments on the Coast will be classified and rated for the first time in ten years.

The last national classification exercise over a decade ago was marred with controversy amid allegations that many hotels bribed officials to gain high rating. From that exercise only two hotels in Coast-Sarova Whitesands Beach Resort & Spa in Mombasa and the Hemingways Hotel in Watamu attained five star rating.

Classification of hotels across Kenya began early and has already covered the Western Kenya tourist circuit. No five star hotel was found in the whole of Western Kenyan circuit. The next phase will cover Nairobi, Central and Southern Rift regions next month before ending with Coast early next year. The accumulated capacity of hotels in Coast which accounts for 60 per cent of tourist arrivals annually is about 30,000 beds.

The aim of classification is to improve standards and quality assurance in the sector where hotels and tourist establishments are classified as one, two, three, four and five star ratings.

According to Director General of Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA) , Mr Kipkorir Lagat, “Hotels and tourists establishments that will be presenting themselves for the crucial exercise at the Coast will undergo classification starting February and March , 2016.”

''We have already finished classification for the Western Kenya region which have also been gazetted ,'' Lagat told The Standard at the Travellers Beach Hotel and Club , Mombasa county yesterday.

He said that the timing for Coast hotels classification will be during the traditional tourist high season.