The Standard Group Plc is a multi-media organization with investments in media
platforms spanning newspaper print
operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a
leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key influence in matters of national and
international interest.
Walk into any trendy Nairobi entertainment joint today and you will be ushered by a tall gorgeous girl dressed like she was born to charm dignitaries. She smiles, shakes your hand, and even hugs you then asks to show you to a VIP spot, where yet another designated girl carries on as your hostess for the night.
And they have the etiquette to serve at a king's table.
Sample this, we walk into a leading club on Mombasa Road and this is the treatment we get:
"Join me at the VIP," the hostess urges as she walks us to a reserved spot where only the well-oiled guests are offered bottle services. Here, you are guaranteed good security and specialised services, including free snacks.
In most of these VIP spots, the hostess is allowed to interact with you freely. The clients are treated to comfort away from the masses in the club.
In some instances, one can decide which of the hostesses serves him and share time with him in the club, in others, the club management makes that decision.
"Most of these girls are either university graduates or are already pursuing a university degree. Good looks count - they range between 21 and 25 years. They go through rigorous interviews before they get the jobs and I can assure you that they get good pay for their services.
"Most of them are paid per hour. On a good night, one can earn up to Sh30,000 and that is without factoring in the tips they get from clients who appreciate their good services," says a manager of one of the lounges in Kilimani, Nairobi.
"These hostesses are also allowed to keep in touch with clients and keep inviting them into the club. I mean, they are our contact points with these guys who are heavy spenders and since they develop this sort of bond with them, they become our ambassadors to market the club.
"They are neither socialites nor escort girls. They are real hostesses and with high etiquette and moral dignity expected of them, we do not expect the one-on-one service to turn sexually intimate."
The new hostess trend has also triggered a move where popular female stars; including TV and radio hosts, take specific days of the week to help drive numbers in clubs, days when they pose as hostesses.
These girls are also used to push particular brands via their social media forums and attract the targeted high-end clients by announcing their presence at particular spots.
The duties of a club lounge hostess revolve around managing specific nights and sessions at a given entertainment establishment.
She manages a guest list of high-end clients and ushers them to a reserved VIP table. She serves and gives the guest or guests company.
"Hostesses are allowed to share drinks with at least one customer or say one VIP table per night - but that, to a certain limit.
"Sometimes, we have arrangements where we pay the hostesses a percentage of what they sell as their influence on how they treat the clients leads to excellent sales for the club," says yet another manager at an establishment in Kileleshwa.
He adds; "Sometimes, the hostess will be given enticing drinks that she can serve her customers, tabs that are paid for by the club. We have a strict 'no touch' policy where no patron should sexually abuse a hostess. If that happens, the club's management has the right to get that client out."
Besides the 'feel good' factor and appeal that such services provide, it is a tactic being used to keep 'special clients' from the preying eyes of women who frequent joints attended by high spenders with the intention of spiking their drinks to rob them.
Unlike everyone else who is served by the regular waitress and waiter, these services are for men who have deep pockets and are ready to spend for a good time.
