Harsh business times occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic have pushed the Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill out of the market. The Radisson Blu – an international hotel chain – announced that its hotel in Upper Hill will remain closed until March 2021.
The hotel sent a huge number of its staff home, citing low bookings towards the festive season, a far cry from the norm in other festive seasons when the hotel’s bookings are at an all-time high. A spokesman from Radisson Blu said that the decision was taken to mitigate the adverse effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the business.
Why Did Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill Shut Down in 2021?
A spokesperson said that the hotel chain resorted to shutting down the hotel as an economic mitigation measure. Although the pandemic ate into the hotel’s profits since March, when the first COVID-19 case was reported in Kenya, Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill still paid its staff.
The hotel hoped for better times with the festive season, but the business remained low. The hotel projected that things would change by March 2021, when it is likely to reopen. Those sent home got their severance pay and were promised to be considered next year when it resumes business.
Radisson Blu Nairobi Upper Hill. This 5-star hotel has a 271-bed capacity. Photo/Travel Weekly
How Many Rooms Does Radisson Blu Upper Hill Have?
Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill is the biggest in its brand in Kenya with a 271-bed capacity. It hosts conferences and parties and is always a top pick for corporates that wish to hold events outside the city’s central business district (CBD). However, the COVID-19 pandemic shifted meetings to the digital space as most people worked remotely, and this put the final nail in the coffin for the establishment’s finances.
In Westlands, Park Inn by Radisson is still operational, as well as Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence Nairobi Arboretum, both owned by Radisson Blu. Combined, these two sister hotels have a 262-bed capacity. The decision to temporarily shut down Radisson Blu Hotel Nairobi Upper Hill follows in the steps of other giants in the hotel industry who have taken this route in the past.
Which Other Kenyan hotels were Closed During COVID-19 pandemic?
In May 2020, the iconic Fairmont Hotels and Resorts shut down Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mara Safari Club and fired all employees. Mehdi Morad, Country General Manager, said that the decision to close the two establishments was informed by the uncertainty in knowing when the COVID-19 pandemic ends.
Fairmont the Norfolk in Nairobi, Kenya. It was one of the prestigious Kenyan hotels that shut down during Covid-19 pandemic. Photo/Ascot Kenya
“Due to the uncertainty of when and how the impact of the global pandemic will result in the business picking up in the near future, we are left with no option but to close down the business indefinitely,” Morad said in a memo.
He added: “It is therefore the decision of the management to terminate the services of all its employees due to ‘frustration’ by way of mutual separation and taking into account the loyalty and dedication the employees have put into the success of our company in the previous years.”
A recent survey released by the Central Bank of Kenya indicated that bookings in many hotels across the country were still low at 23 per cent in November, whereas it was at 24 per cent in September. This has been occasioned by the second wave of coronavirus that Kenya is battling. It has repelled many potential visitors from travelling across the country and also flying into the country.
A few weeks back, hoteliers at the coast decried low books which is not a norm during the festive season. The hoteliers blamed the low bookings on the limbo among travellers who are apprehensive that a lockdown could be imposed when they are away from home.
