After Mara Launch, PrideInn Plots Major Expansion

Hotel group PrideInn is plotting further expansion after unveiling its new luxury camp in the Maasai Mara, Narok County last week.

PrideInn Mara Camp was acquired from Azure Mara Haven and revamped to give it what Group MD Hasnain Noorani calls ‘The PrideInn touch’. The luxury camp includes 30 cottages and tents overlooking the Talek River, and a 70-seater deck restaurant.

It is expected to draw domestic and international tourists who flock the Mara for its world-famous wildlife and culture attractions. The camp increases the hotel group’s total room capacity to 700.

The group currently has a heavy presence at the Coast and Nairobi. It operates PrideInn Paradise Beach Resort, PrideInn Flamingo Beach Resort, PrideInn Mombasa City, PrideInn Nyali, PrideInn Diani, PrideInn Westlands, and PrideInn Azure.

“It (PrideInn Mara) will help us complete the tourism circuit. We now have beach, city and safari destinations presence,” said Mr Noorani. He disclosed that the hotel group was planning a major expansion drive to take PrideInn to 10 new counties within the next three years and create hundreds of jobs.

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It has set itself the lofty long-term goal of having a presence in all 47 counties.

“We are looking into expanding to all 47 counties within Kenya. At the moment, over the next three years, we have highlighted 10 counties where we want to establish our hotels and facilities,” he stated.

Key factors the group is considering in picking which counties to venture into include accessibility and existing tourist attractions. The firm is keen on working with county governments to improve their tourism offerings.

“The faith and optimism we have in this country is unlimited, we have everything under one roof; adventures, pristine beaches, desert safaris, marine life,” Noorani observed.

The hotelier also welcomed the opening of the Nairobi Expressway, stating that the Ksh88 billion infrastructure project, alongside others such as the Dongo Kundu bypass, would offer a big boost to the tourism and hospitality sector. The expressway is expected to cut down travel time from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to Westlands, where hotels such as PrideInn Azure are located, significantly.

He urged the government to invest in a new, world-class 10,000 seater conference centre in Nairobi to drive increased business tourism, in the MICE category.

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