The inside part of the Nyali International Beach Hotel in Mombasa. [Photo/ tripadvisor.co.uk]
Nyali International Beach Hotel in Mombasa will undergo rehabilitation at a cost of Sh100 million as the facility bets on Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) line launch to woo tourists.
The four-star hotel built in 1946 is among the oldest hotels in Mombasa County.The hotel’s manager Lucy Kimani said it has allocated enough money for rehabilitating the investment as it seeks to improve the quality of accommodation for its guests. The hotel was renovated five years ago.The upgrade will involve refurbishing the 179 rooms comprising of executive suits, deluxe rooms and rooms overlooking the gardens and villas.The rehabilitation will be done in phases, allowing it to admit visitors even as facelift works continue.“We plan to upgrade the hotel from next month (July) so that we can meet the needs of modern holiday makers,” Kimani told journalists at the hotel on Sunday.She said currently, the hotel occupancy averages between 40 to 50 per cent during the low tourist season.Following the launch of the SGR passenger train last week by President Uhuru Kenyatta, however, the facility expects its guest numbers to rise when the high tourist season begins next month.“During the high season, we expect to register between 80 per cent and 100 per cent occupancy bolstered by both local and international visitors,” Kimani said.There are also efforts by the hotel to market itself in a bid to attract domestic tourists as more Kenyans visit Mombasa following the SGR launch.“Majority of our domestic guests come from Nairobi. We are capitalizing on the faster passenger trains to woo more Nairobians to Mombasa,” she added.She said the hotel’s charges will be affordable as the investment seeks to encourage more Kenyans visit and holiday at the Coast.