Tourism opportunities set to get a boost as a five star hotel opens its door next month

Tourism opportunities in Nyeri County may soon get a boost when one of the biggest hotel open its doors next month.

Bantu Africa Resort and Spa in Nyeri County will receive its first group of visitors on November 3, with the Sh1.5billion facility looking to battle it out with five star and four star rated hotels in the region.

Businessman , Thuo Mathenge has spent the fortune setting up a 240 bed-capacity hotel in his 100 acre piece of land in the outskirts of Nyeri town along Marua-Nanyuki road.

Mathenge said the official opening of the hotel is in December, however the establishment will receive the first group of visitors on November 3 and November 9.

“We are ready for business and are working to ensure that everything will be ready before those dates,” the businessman said yesterday.

With plans to open tourism opportunities, Mathenge, a seasoned investor in hospitality industry hopes that the investment will break even with time.

He said that his optimism of a better returns of his business is pegged on probabilities of an improved economy in days to come.

“I am fully aware that all is not well for those in business but what I know is that things get better when they are at their worst,”he said.

Besides the huge bed capacity, the resort that has been under construction for three years will also have four conferencing halls with a total of 4000 people capacity, children fun park, a 2000 capacity youth club and a helipad, making one of the largest hotels in Mount Kenya region.

Mathenge has previously invested in Bradegate poultry and Bradegate eatery joints spreads all over the country.

The luxurious resort is a mixed development that seeks to introduce a different all-inclusive taste of hospitality with the creation of packages for each age group.

Besides giving a scenic view of Nyeri, it comes with a bed capacity of 240, the highest bed capacity in the region, and three swimming pools. Its setup has been divided to fit age groups, economic class as well as tastes and preferences of clients.

Bantu Africa has embraced an afro-modern architectural design that incorporates a touch of modern and traditional décor.

“The idea is to create a modern facility but maintain the cultural heritage of the region. That is why we chose the name Bantu Africa and the logo of the face of a Kikuyu woman curved into the shape of the Africa continent,” Dr Mathenge explained.

It has eight conference facilities covering 3,600-square metres of the indoor space, as well as four themed restaurants. One of the restaurants will maintain the traditional African theme where African dishes will be served while the other three will serve international cuisines including Chinese, Japanese and Thai food.

Boarding facilities will be separated into three sections; regular rooms, VIP rooms and a presidential suite. An Olympic size swimming pool will be put up at the boarding section as well as a helipad.

To accommodate all age groups, the resort comes with a family park, youth club and a night club all of which have been separated.

“Adults, youth, teenagers and children will all have tailor-made packages to ensure everybody has fun in a responsible and accommodating manner,” the proprietor explained.

The family park will be strictly alcohol free and incorporates 50metre long kids pool, water park, rides as well as a petting zoo. A beauty parlor and a food court will also be set up in the family park to accommodate parents and