Meru visitors no longer pack belongings when sun sets

By KATHURE MUKURU

It was a big embarrassment when Meru town hosted one of Kenya’s presidents several years ago. It turned out the conditions in his room were not befitting.

That evening his security team decided to check out and sought accommodation in the nearby Nanyuki town.

This is what happens when a big town lacks hotels and hospitality facilities, a lesson well learnt by leaders and residents of Meru that day.

The Kenya Methodist University (Kemu) main campus in Meru has had to host a number of guests whenever there is a graduation due to lack of enough hotels.

Years later, Meru town now has proper hotels that befit a president’s status or any other dignitary and recently hosted the Deputy President William Ruto and other VIPs, who have not had to check out at night or left with complaints.

This has been possible through the flourishing hotel industry that is growing tremendously.

The new kid on the block is Alba Hotel that opened in June and is situate behind Nakumatt along Meru – Nanyuki Road. According to the Front Office Manager Betty Muthamia the hotel is a four-star.

It is the only hotel with an elevator in Meru town and has state of the art presidential suites and an underground parking.

The entrance oozes class and guests are welcomed by an artificial waterfall and a flower garden with breathtaking scenery of Nyambene Hills and farms.

“We believe in the whole of Eastern region we are the best and can comfortably add we are here to take Meru town by storm with our high class services and assuring all our clients best services that they can only get in big cities and nowhere else in Meru,” says Ms Muthamia.

The management confirmed that they have so far hosted clients from all over Kenya including events for companies in the public and private sector.

The hotel has a gym and swimming pool that are open to the public at a cost but free to residents who can also enjoy Jacuzzi piped music, Wi-Fi and an ICT room for those who want to use the Internet but do not have a personal computer.

Muthamia says their menu is unique and includes seafood and Meru delicacies and they also plan to introduce Indian, coastal and Somali cuisine.

“We are incorporating theme nights where we can have events like the Indian nights and have the Halaal and by this we will pull people from all cultures where they can feel at home away from home and we have barbeque for families too,” she added.

Strategically located

The other new feather to Meru town is the Slopes Hotel next to Nakumatt a few meters from Alba hotel, which opened doors in April.

Slopes Hotel has 55 rooms ranging from executive, deluxe and superior rooms, a bar and restaurant, conference hall, kids’ playing corner, nyama choma area not to mention a gym and swimming pool that are currently under construction.

According to the manager John Njeru, the hotel targets middle to upper class clientele and tourists who visit Meru National Park.

“We host locals and families during the weekends, as this is a place where people can come and relax instead of moving to nearby towns or stay indoors,” said Mr Njeru.

He is happy that Meru is now growing, and unlike in the past, guests don’t have to spend the day working in the town and leave for Nanyuki to spend the night.

Being strategically located along the Meru-Nanyuki highway, the hotel hosts more than 100 guests daily, mainly for conferences, lunch, leisure and boarding facilities.

Another hotel that has gained popularity is the Gatimene Gardens situated along Meru-Maua Road. The hotel has hosted various dignitaries, including former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi.

It has six presidential suites, with 42 standard rooms, and a cottage, a bar, restaurant, conference hall and a garden. The garden is popularly used for weddings and parties and can host about six hundred people.

The hotel also provides catering services, decoration for weddings and private parties.

The three-year-old hotel is a three-star and Its clients range from middle to upper class. NGOs, tour companies, locals and neighbours frequent the hotel.

Other hotels have come up including Shade Net, which is a few metres from Gatimene and mainly targets travellers.

It offers accommodation and has a bar and restaurant and an underground discotheque, which is a favourite to Kemu students, Meru University and Meru Technical Institute among others.

Another hotel to note is the Three Steer’s, which is 26 years old and has over the years maintained its place in the hotel industry.

The hotel is under going renovation to modernise the facilities.

At the site is an upcoming modern building, while modern executive rooms and four large conference halls are complete. Many hotels are still under construction in Meru.

Meru Municipality ward representative Kiome Rimbere attributes the growth to the rising demand for better hotel services with the coming of the county government.

“Meru has grown so much in terms of business and all the companies have set up their offices in Meru and will require places to eat good food and rest after long days’ work or travel,” says Mr Rimbere.

Accommodation crisis

He says previously, there has been an accommodation crisis especially during the festive season or university graduations, where people were forced to spend the night in Nanyuki and Embu.

Meru Governor Peter Munya, however, says there is need for more investments in the hotel industry and declared that the county government would invest in the tourism sector.

“There is need for more people to invest in the (hotel) industry and together we can make Meru County a tourist destination in a short span because we have what it takes,” said Munya.

He says his government has identified areas in the Mt Kenya forest, where they can construct hotels for local and international tourists and have consulted with other countries like Malaysia for expertise.

Gov Munya says with the diverse opportunities in the area, the hotel industry in Meru could soon be competing with other major towns in the country.