Indian hotel chain eyes Mara with Sh150m five-star hotel

Indian hotel chain Royal Orchid is set to open a Sh150 million five-star facility near the Maasai Mara National Reserve.PHOTO: COURTESY

Indian hotel chain Royal Orchid is set to open a Sh150 million five-star facility near the Maasai Mara National Reserve.

The 60-bed capacity development next to Talek River is expected to launch in December this year.

It will comprise luxury tents, cottages and conference facilities to tap both local and foreign visitors to the park.

The owners anticipate guests at its Nairobi hotel, Royal Orchid Azure, will opt to be moved to the sister chain hotel to witness the Mara’s famous wildebeest migration.

“We have been losing guests to rivals when our guests opt to have a safari experience in the Mara. The new development will be a circuit that guests rotate through, either coming from Nairobi, Mombasa or Amboseli,” said Parbat Pindoria, who chairs the Nairobi chain.

The facility, which will be named Mara Azure, will be Royal Orchid’s second hotel in Kenya since its debut in the country two years ago, and will sit on 25 acres.

According to Mr Pindoria, the chain will rely on competitive pricing, a decision that could spark a pricing war for visitors with existing hotels in the reserve.

Royal Orchid currently operates 36 business and leisure hotels across India and East Africa, with seven more in the pipeline. It is one of India’s fastest-growing hospitality chains.