Online hotel booking takes shape in Kenya

Estelle Verdier Watine, Jovago.com East Africa managing director says the company has been convincing tourists that traveling into and within Africa is not as expensive as it is thought.[PHOTO: LILLIANE KIARE/STANDARD]

NAIROBI, KENYA: When Estelle Verdier, a French national, arrived in Nairobi for the first time in 2006 accompanied by her brother, they got stranded. They arrived at the hotel they had booked on phone only to be turned away because it was full.

They looked for other accommodation in downtown Nairobi, but were so afraid to leave the hotel for two days since they did not know how to move around. She was angry and disturbed at the same time. Something needed to be done to address this gap. And she was going to be the one to do it.