Thai-born US billionaire William Heinecke is expanding his
luxury hotel portfolio in Kenya with the planned opening of a new luxury
tented camp near Mount Kenya in June.
The Elewana Lodo spring in Loisaba — a 56,000-acre wildlife conservancy in Laikipia — will target the super-rich.
Its
opening brings the total number of properties offered by the
billionaire’s East Africa Elewana luxury portfolio to 16 camps, lodges
and boutique beach hotels in Tanzania, Zanzibar and Kenya.
"Elewana
Lodo Springs is a different kind of bespoke safari experience; it has
been created to speak to the discerning, well-seasoned high-end
traveller who has come to expect responsible conservation practices
without forgoing luxury and privacy," said Elewana Collection chief
executive Karim Wissanji in a statement.
The camp, he
said, would offer an ultra-private experience, with eight spacious
tented rooms that have “impressive views of the landscape of northern
Kenya stretching to Mount Kenya.”
“Each tent will be
assigned an Elewana guest ambassador to cater to guests' needs as well
as a dedicated safari vehicle, driver and expert Elewana field guide to
accompany guests for the duration of their stay,” the firm said.
The Thai billionaire recently acquired the Elewana Collection in
Africa, Oaks Hotels & Resorts across Asia-Pacific and the Middle
East, and four-to-five star Tivoli hotels and resorts in Portugal.
The new Nanyuki hotel comes against the backdrop of a string of heavy investments by leading luxury hotels in Kenya last year.
They include Accor Hotels, Hilton, Carlson Rezidor and Acacia Premier.
Hotel chains are increasingly facing pressure from ultra-affluent clients who demand special service.
Kenya and South Africa have been tipped as the next continental hotspots in luxury hotel investment.
Nineteen
hotels are expected to open shop in Kenya shortly, with a total of
3,453 new rooms in the pipeline, according to a report by Lagos-based
consultancy W-Hospitality Group.
No comments :
Post a Comment