The Arboretum offers a refreshing retreat away from the urban frenzy and is home to more than 300 exotic tree species and more than 100 types of bird. Just ten minutes from the city centre, its markets and museums, and 45 minutes from the airport, the hotel is ideally situated for guests to explore the city and is the ideal base for day trips and safaris.

Tim Cordon, Senior Area Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Radisson Hotel Group, said: “We are thrilled to open the doors of our third hotel and first extended stay product in Nairobi. Nairobi is the economic powerhouse of East Africa and is large enough to offer multiple Radisson Hotel Group hotels, including residences. Adding our third hotel in Nairobi is in line with our strategy of adding depth to our focus countries with multiple properties and multiple product offerings. The residence is the first internationally branded extended-stay product in the city and complements our other properties in Nairobi; Radisson Blu Hotel, Nairobi Upperhill and Park Inn by Radisson Nairobi Westlands.”

The hotel’s 122 rooms and suites feature contemporary interiors, private balconies, upscale amenities and exclusive services like free Wi-Fi, individual climate control and 24-hour room service. They range in space between 20-133sqm, boasting splendid views of the glistening pool or lush park and garden – all set in a prime location, minutes from the heart of the city. Guests can relax and recharge in the hotel’s expansive spa, sauna, steam rooms, swimming pool and fitness centre. The hotel also offers all guests secure underground parking, in a safe location surrounded by a tranquil environment.

The hotel introduces Africa’s first Firelake Restaurant, the Radisson Hotel Group concept, which is a comfortable and sophisticated retreat offering all-day dining. For a warm beverage, Arborista offers speciality coffee and tea. Guests can also enjoy snacks and refreshing drinks at the Lounge Bar as well as the Infinity Pool Bar.

Offering the best venue for tailor-made meetings and events experiences, the hotel also provides an enhanced outdoor option at the Arboretum park. The hotel’s functional venues offer 500sqm of meetings and events space that are designed to host up to 200 guests. All meeting rooms have natural light and the latest audio-visual equipment to create a memorable gathering.

Gerard Moutou, General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence, Nairobi Arboretum, said: “We are delighted to welcome our guests to our eco-friendly hotel, tucked away in a leafy forest area, just a few minutes away from the business demand generators and city centre. The combination of our tranquil surroundings, passionate team and renowned Yes I Can! hospitality, we are the perfect base for business and leisure guests enjoying a short or long stay in our stylish hotel rooms or residential apartments.”

Read more about Nairobi – a year-round escape here: https://blog.radissonblu.com/nairobi-a-year-round-escape/

While launching the flight at Entebbe International Airport, 40km south of the capital Kampala, Prime Minister Ruhakana Rugunda, who represented President Yoweri Museveni, described the moment as joyous and historic given that the carrier had earlier collapsed in 2001.

“Each year, Ugandans were donating $450 million to other countries through foreign travel. Besides, there was a lot of inconvenience to travelling Ugandans by not having direct flights and even being charged discriminatively airfares,” Museveni said in his speech read by Rugunda.

The airline will first fly to seven destinations in the region and these include Nairobi (Kenya), Mogadishu (Somalia), Juba (South Sudan) and Dar es Salaam (Tanzania); and then to Mombasa (Kenya), Kilimanjaro (Tanzania) and Bujumbura (Burundi).

“Uganda plays a critical role in the geopolitical and economic stability of East Africa as a region and as a nation, we are strategically placed to serve our neighbours,” Museveni said.

“There has never been a better time to commence commercial operations than now when passenger traffic is growing given the increasing demand for Uganda tourism, business opportunities and a peaceful environment created by the NRM Government,” he said. The NRM (National Resistance Movement) is the ruling political party in Uganda.

The country in April received two new CRJ900 Bombardier aircraft, with two more expected next month. The country also expects two airbuses in 2020

The 171-room City Lodge Hotel at Two Rivers Mall, Nairobi, opened on 15 January 2018 and is the group’s biggest development outside of South Africa. It is conveniently located adjacent to the Two Rivers Mall in Runda, East Africa’s largest shopping mall and mixed-use precinct. Key features include Wi-Fi, two 20-seater boardrooms, two eight-seater meeting rooms, fitness room, #Café restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and light evening meals, outdoor swimming pool and sundowner bar. Miriam Obegi, a Kenyan, is general manager and heads up a team of local staff members. 

The City Lodge Hotel Group now has three hotels in Nairobi, part of its East Africa expansion programme, including the four-star 127-room Fairview Hotel and two-star 84-room Town Lodge Upper Hill, both sharing extensive grounds with landscaped gardens in the heart of Nairobi. All three hotels are in important growth nodes and meet the needs of business and leisure travellers visiting Kenya. 

Andrew Widegger, CEO of CLHG, says, “We are very proud of our team at City Lodge Hotel at Two Rivers Mall, Nairobi, for their hard work in ensuring our guests enjoy an exceptional hospitality experience. The hotel’s four-star classification is important because it reassures business and leisure travellers that their expectations of quality standards and exceptional service will be met.” 

The additional service will commence from 27 October 2019 on a Boeing 737-800. “We are extremely excited by this announcement which shows that the new routes the partnership is helping to secure are sustainable,” said Tim Harris, Wesgro CEO. 

This expansion is in addition to flights already operating via Livingstone (four times a week), and Victoria Falls (three times a week), bringing the total to 12 weekly flights added to the Cape Town network since 2018.

The addition of two direct flights on the Nairobi route will result in five non-stop flights a week.

Western Cape Minister for Finance and Economic Opportunities, David Maynier, welcomed the announcement and said that direct connectivity has contributed to significant growth in travel between Kenya and the Western Cape. “In 2018, 53 300 two-way passengers travelled between Kenya and Cape Town, a 7% increase when compared to 2017. During January – May 2019, 23 970 two-way passengers travelled between Kenya and Cape Town, showing a significant increase of 25% when compared to the same period in 2018.”

“Through collaborations like these, we ensure that Cape Town stays the go-to-city in Africa. With our strategic placement we are able to connect businesses to opportunities across the African continent,” added Alderman James Vos, mayoral committee member for economic opportunities and asset management in the City of Cape Town.

“Accessing tourism, trade and investment opportunities emerging in growing African economies is a key priority for the City of Cape Town. According to Wesgro’s research, over half of companies surveyed on their Africa strategy found that Cape Town was the best or one of the best cities for doing business on the continent. Greater connectivity will make our City even more attractive. We therefore warmly welcome this announcement, and wish Kenya Airways great success.”

Since its inception in 2015, Cape Town Air Access has assisted landing 15 new routes and 21 routes expansions. During this period, more than 750,000 inbound seats were added to its international network.

“Our focus is on delivering a quality passenger experience, time and time again. We never take for granted when an airline makes a commitment to our destination. This is why the airport team continues to play its role in the region by delivering a quality service, a role we take seriously,” ” said Deon Cloete, general manager of Cape Town International Airport.

“The addition of flights from Rome and Geneva will be welcomed by both our leisure and business customers travelling to Kenya for tourism and business. Kenya is a melting pot of diverse cultures with an endless array of activities and destinations. The route opens huge opportunities for several industries such as hotels and tourism players in Kenya to grow their businesses. Geneva hosts the highest number of international organizations in the world such as the United Nation (UN), making it a global hub for diplomacy. It is a perfect complement to Nairobi which is also Africa’s hub for UN among other international agencies.,” said Kenya Airways Group MD and CEO Sebastian Mikosz.

Kenya Airways previously operated from Rome and with the resumption of flights plus the addition of Geneva, this will bring the destinations Kenya Airways serves in Europe to 5 and 55 worldwide. With this route, Kenya Airways will offer excellent connections from these two cities to its 43 destinations in Africa for business, diplomatic missions, and tourism.

The national carrier was to launch its direct flight to Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu on 15 November in a move that was expected to boost trade with the Horn of Africa nation.

However in a statement, Kenya Airways CEO, Sebastian Mikosz, said the airline would not fly to Somalia until “operational requirements beyond our control” are sorted out.

“Kenya Airways wishes to inform our customers and the public that the launch of the Nairobi- Mogadishu route that was scheduled to commence on November 15 has been postponed to December 5.

“This delay is due to additional airline and operational requirements beyond our control. We are engaging the relevant authorities on the necessary approvals and we expect to finalise this process as soon as possible and officially start operations for this eagerly awaited route,” said Mr Mikosz.

The daily nonstop flight was to leave JKIA at 07:40 am to arrive in Mogadishu at 9:55 am local time.

It was then expected to depart Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu at 10:45am to arrive back in Nairobi at 1:00pm.

Kenya Airways subsidiary, Jambojet was set to fly the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 on this route.

The airline will operate the route daily as it seeks to enhance intra-Africa air connectivity linking cities and facilitating movement of people and thereby enhancing social and economic ties between the countries.

The flight operated by Jambojet on the Bombardier Dash 8 Q400, will depart Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), Nairobi at 07:40 and depart Aden Adde International Airport, Mogadishu at 10:45 to arrive back in Nairobi at 13:00.

In a statement, Kenya Airways CEO, Sebastian Mikosz said that the daily flight is aimed at meeting the growing travel demand by Somali travellers, government and non-government organization officials and a growing number of entrepreneurs from Kenya and around the region who are keen on seeking opportunities in the country.

“We want to extend our network reach and make it convenient for our guests who work and invest in Somalia. The addition of this route to our network demonstrates our commitment to improving connectivity on the African continent, while creating new opportunities for corporates investors, traders and tourists”, said Group Managing Director and CEO Sebastian Mikosz.

With the demand for travel by traders to Somalia through Nairobi increasing, the launch of this route is expected to ease travel between the two cities that are the focal points of business in the two countries and spur commercial activities.

Flights will depart Nairobi at 07h40, arriving in Mogadishu at 09h55. The return service will depart Mogadishu at 10h45, arriving in Nairobi at 13h00.

All this culminated with the very recent announcement of hospitality stalwart Mark Willis, to take the helm of the Middle East and Africa as the Group continues to set the pace and grow from strength to strength.

AccorHotels is one of the largest operators in Africa with a network of over 150 hotels in operation, representing close to 27,000 rooms across 23 countries. Moving forward the Investment Fund, in partnership with Katara Hospitality, will underscore growth and development for the region, providing a platform for a combined network of organic and acquisition reach of 250 hotels by 2025.

Following the acquisition of Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, which added over 50 hotels to the Group’s Middle East and Africa portfolio, including the Mövenpick Ambassador Hotel Accra and Mövenpick Hotel & Residences Nairobi, C-suite leadership was announced with Mark Willis as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for AccorHotels Middle East & Africa. With more than three decades of operational experience with leading hospitality groups, Willis spent over 12 years in the Middle East and Africa.

Speaking at the Regional Leaders panel at AHIF, Willis outlined the Group’s vision for Africa based on organic growth and development and a renewed focus on rebalancing AccorHotel’s presence in Africa with a focus on key cities and destinations in East and Southern Africa. He drew emphasis on the need for collaboration with local partners and to mobilize their expertise, intuitive knowledge and passion for community outreach, citing the Mantis Group as the perfect example of a hospitality leader in South Africa with genuine credentials in eco-tourism combined with wildlife conservation.

Over the course of the year, the Group also opened flagship properties and signed key projects, including the first Fairmont flag in Morocco with the opening of the Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech and the conversion of the ibis Styles Nairobi, complete with energetic design and a vibrant open-air rooftop lounge. Key signings included the combination Novotel and Adagio residences in Abidjan, Novotel Algiers, and two strategic projects in Lagos with the MGallery Ikoyi and Pullman Ikoyi. The Group also announced the first Pullman brand in Ghana to open in 2021 – Pullman Accra Airport City – a mixed-use complex with Pullman Living, a compelling extended stay solution in the premium market.

The three direct flights between Cape Town and Nairobi were introduced in June this year. The additional two flights will result in five non-stop flights a week operated by a Boeing 737-800 – these will be in addition to indirect flights already operating via Livingstone four times a week, and Victoria Falls, 3 times a week.

Amongst Africa Air markets, Kenya ranks the 4th largest source market to the Western Cape, with statistics revealing significant double-digit growth of 29.5% of visitors to the destination in 2017 when compared to 2016.

Since its inception in 2015, the CTAA team has assisted in the establishment of 13 new routes and expansion of 18 existing routes. During this period, more than 750 000 inbound seats were added to its international network.

“In just three years the CTAA team has assisted four new African carriers to commence operation to Cape Town, creating air access to eight new African destinations. This is an exceptional achievement in a short period of time. We are pleased to see the demand of visitors result in route expansion between the two destinations, making it easier for us to trade, invest and travel to our key neighbours on the African continent. We thank all partners that form part of the Cape Town Air Access team for their support of this important initiative,” commented Wesgro CEO, Tim Harris.

Cape Town Air Access is a partnership between the Western Cape Government, the City of Cape Town, Cape Town Tourism, South African Tourism, Airports Company South Africa and Wesgro. It also receives private sector report from Naspers, Investec, the Leeu Collection, Tsogo Sun and the Oceana Group.

The Western Cape has had a positive trade balance with Kenya from 2007 to 2016, with Western Cape exports reaching USD170m in 2016 and imports valued at USD2.77m. Products exported to Kenya from the Cape were mainly metals and agricultural products, with a mixed basket of goods imported in 2016. The leading import products into the Western Cape from Kenya were cut flowers and flower buds, followed by plates, sheets, film, foil and plastics.

In terms of investment, a total of 12 Foreign Direct Investment projects were recorded between January 2003 and May 2017 from the Western Cape to Kenya, representing a total capital investment of USD149.7m.

The announcement of the route expansion comes as the team prepares to depart for the World Routes Conference in Guangzhou China, taking place from 15 to 18 September. Scheduled to host 30 meetings with 25 airlines, the team led by Air Access Project Manager, Paul van den Brink, will look to facilitate new direct routes and expand on existing flight frequency.

Following the CTAA’s success at Routes Africa 2018, where the team walked away with best Destination Marketing award; as well as Overall Routes Africa award, the unit will be in the running for the World Routes Award which will be announced on the 17th of September.

Executive Mayor, Patricia de Lille, commented: “Cape Town Air Access shows how we can deliver if all three spheres of government and the private sector work together. In an environment where South Africa is experiencing a technical recession, these increase in flights from across Africa to Cape Town moves us in the opposite direction and contributes to job creation. Air connectivity is undoubtedly a key enabler of our economy.”

Minister of Economic Opportunities Alan Winde wished the team well commenting: “Kenya is one of the top 20 countries for two-way travel from Cape Town International, and we are delighted that Kenya Airways has seen enough demand and value in this route to increase its frequency. We look forward to welcoming many more Kenyan visitors in the future, and expanding our trade relations with them.”

The new four-times weekly flights between Doha and Mombasa (MBA) will be operated with an Airbus A320, with 12 Business Class seats and 120 Economy Class seats, from 11 December 2018, with a flight time of just over six hours.

Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Akbar Al Baker, said: “Qatar Airways sees Kenya as an important market for our passengers, so we are delighted to offer this new service to a second Kenyan destination. We are sure our new direct daily service to Mombasa will prove very popular with tourists interested in exploring Kenya’s beautiful tropical beaches and coastline, as well as immersing themselves in the city’s fascinating diverse cultural mix.

“This second new route to Kenya, in addition to our existing three daily services to the capital Nairobi, will help make Qatar Airways the first choice for travellers wishing to explore this beautiful country. It also demonstrates our ongoing commitment to expand our reach with ambitious new routes around the globe to offer our unrivalled five-star customer service wherever our customers want to fly.”

Qatar Airways first started flying to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi in November 2005. As part of its continued expansion plans, Qatar Airways plans a host of other exciting new destinations throughout 2018/19, including Gothenburg, Sweden; Da Nang, Vietnam; Tallinn, Estonia and Valletta, Malta, to name just a few.

Flight Schedule:

Doha – Mombasa

Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday:

Doha (DOH) to Mombasa (MBA) QR1333 departs 02:30 arrives 08:40

Mombasa (MBA) to Doha (DOH) QR1334 departs 16:50 arrives 23:30