Sankara Nairobi | Company Brochure

www.sankara.com

SANKARA NAIROBI

Sankara Nairobi

AFRICAN

HOSPITALITY 2

Sankara Nairobi · Kenya

Hospitality

An Exclusive with Sankara Hotels & Resorts Managing Director, Krishna Unni By: Nicholas Paul Griffin

Aspire Africa ¡ Issue 6.0

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Sankara Nairobi consists of 156

rooms, the hotel is aimed primarily at the business-traveller market.

Krishan Unni, Group Managing Director, Sankara Hotels & Resorts

S

ankara hotels operate under the belief that modern travellers desire a deeper and more authentic connection to the cities they visit, a belief reflected in its vibrant, urban spirit and a character deeply ingrained in the art, culture, lifestyle and food of its locations.

Nairobi Located in the upscale Westlands suburb, the Sankara Nairobi hotel invites customers to discover the city on a profoundly personal level, without having to give up the boutiquestyle and service of a five-star hotel.

Essential to the hotel’s vision is the belief in offering excellent and uncomplicated personal service, attuned to the individual needs of its guests.

Consisting of 156 rooms, the hotel is aimed primarily at the business-traveller market, with the entire operation dedicated to meeting the needs of guests by providing the very best services and facilities available.

Aspire Africa spoke to Sankara Hotels and Resort Group Managing Director, Krishna Unni, about why the establishment has been such an overwhelming success for Nairobi, and its outlook for the near future.

“The hotel has been around for about seven years,” Mr Unni explains. “We opened operations in 2010, so this is our seventh year of operations, but the planning for Sankara, the concept of Sankara, started much earlier than that.”

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Sankara Nairobi · Kenya

Having a strong vision is something central to us. In every market that we’re in, we want to be the market leader.” Krishna Unni

Hospitality

Sankara Nairobi

Nairobi City, Kenya

Aspire Africa · Issue 6.0

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Sankara Hotel Nairobi

Having a very strong vision and core values is something that’s central to us.”

Krishna Unni

Hospitality

Poolside view of Sankara Nairobi During the planning process, the hotel’s investors discovered that a lot of African cities had legacy hotels. The idea was that Sankara should be fresh, reflective of African flair and hospitality. This vision is clear within the design and service style of the hotel.

“Having a very strong vision and core values is something that’s central to us. In every market that we’re in, we want to be the market leader.

Whatever we do we want to do it to the best of our ability, and make sure we’re innovative and always ahead of the curve.”

Sankara’s core values are based on respect, not only for its guests but for associates, suppliers and local communities too. The

group always looks to play by the rules, at the same time remaining innovative and always looking to improve.

“We always try to be true to ourselves, and we try to constantly have the African flavour in our hospitality, and that comes through. That is quite refreshing, and I think a lot of our guests really appreciate what we try to do and being authentic to who we are.”

Part of the hotel’s core values mean having the best services and amenities available to its guests. Mr Unni explains how the hotel’s design has been geared towards providing the very best possible service.

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Sankara Hotel was awarded ‘Best Luxury Hotel - East Africa’ in 2016.

Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for The Gallery 2014, 2012 and 2011.

Graze Steakhouse recognised as the Best Steakhouse in Africa recently

The Gallery wine bar at Sankara Nairobi

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Sankara Nairobi · Kenya

Kenya has huge potential in the hospitality sector, it’s a major hub for east Africa, and I think it will only grow.”

Krishna Unni

“Our guest rooms are very tastefully designed,” he says, “very spacious. Even the colour tones we’ve chosen, the items we’ve put in the room, have all been well thought out. Everything has a purpose, and we always try and see it from our guest’s point of view.”

The hotel’s dining options are particularly impressive, with its signature Graze Steakhouse recently being recognised as the Best Steakhouse in Africa at the World Luxury Awards, a recognition Mr Unni and the team are very proud of.

“We have a wine bar, called The Gallery, on the first floor, and of course our signature rooftop bar Sarabi, which is a very energetic, very relaxed venue. We have just revamped the

Hospitality

menu there to fit in more with a rooftop-style concept.”

As the hotel is geared towards businesstravellers, there is also a functional business centre onsite, as well as a club lounge catered to the business-traveller. In addition, the hotel has plenty of meeting space, all equipped with the latest technologies.

Kenyan Market “Kenya has huge potential [in the hospitality sector],” Mr Unni explains, “already it’s a major hub for east Africa, and I think it will only grow, not only for tourism, traditional tourists, but also business-travel will be huge.”

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Sankara Hotel Nairobi 10 Mansoor Hamayun · Co-Founder/CEO, BBOXX

The easiest way is to be successful. If you show success, people want to come and take a piece of that cake, so that’s the best way to showcase Kenya.” Krishna Unni

There are already several emerging markets looking to move into Kenya, such as the Far East, Australia, as well as newly planned air routes to the US which will be likely to open up new opportunities for people and businesses to come into the country. The opportunity for Foreign Direct Investors to enter the Kenyan market is something of an easy sell, as so many people are aware of the country’s growth potential. Mr Unni recognises that this is a trend not unique to the hospitality sector.

“The easiest way is to be successful. If you show success, people want to come and take a piece of that cake, so that’s the best way to showcase Kenya. If all hotels are successful, foreign investors will say, it’s a great idea, let’s go build a hotel in Kenya.”

When the hotel first opened, it represented a breath of fresh air, working hard to remain true to its roots as an African brand. Since then, Sankara’s position in the market has had a positive impact on the Kenyan hospitality sector, particularly in Nairobi. “When the hotel first opened we tried to showcase African art, to promote local artists. All our rooms are tastefully done with African art.

It’s something we’re very proud of, and that’s just one example of how Sankara changed the landscape of what a hotel should be.”

The hotel has also been quick to implement necessary changes when something is not working as well as it should be. Mr Unni explains how the original Graze restaurant was not preforming well, so the idea was taken to change it into a steakhouse.

“When you look back,” he says, “it was the best decision, because for 2016 the Graze Steakhouse won the Best Steakhouse in Africa.

When we realise that there is something we need to do, I think the execution has been done very well.”

Hospitality

Part of Sankara’s competitive difference is its focus on trends, trying to keep up with the wants and needs of both its guests and staff.

In a changing employment landscape, Mr Unni understands the need to move with the times.

“It’s not only looking it at from the guest’s point of view, it’s also very key that we look at it from our associates’ point of view, what are the offerings we give them in terms of training, how do we interact with them? It all starts from there.”

The hotel works on the principle that a welltrained, motivated staff base will take care of its guests in the best possible way. The key is to provide the team with the training and confidence needed to provide excellent customer service.

Best New Hotel Construction & Design, International Property Awards 2011.

“I think, hotels, sometimes they forget that,” Mr Unni says. “They always look at, what does a new business-traveller want, what does a new millennial guest want? But they forget to look at, what does a millennial associate want?”

Looking to the Future Ever since its opening, Sankara Nairobi has been recognised as a market leader. Alongside numerous awards for Graze Steakhouse, in 2016 the hotel was named Best Luxury Hotel for the East Africa region, and has also received the country’s highest certification for safety.

Wallpaper & Fortune Magazine’s Best Business Hotels 2010 listing.

“Safehotels is a third party auditor who comes and sees how safe you are—we were the first hotel to get the executive level, which is the highest level in terms of safety. This is not only the safety of guests, it’s also the safety of anyone who interacts with Sankara.”

Despite the ongoing success of the hotel, changing trends and innovations are still having an effect on the industry, something Sankara must be aware of. New trends in hospitality in particular, such as Airbnb, have had a significant effect.

“I think mobile technology is going to be another huge impact on hospitality operations, not only for Sankara, but just in general. That’s something that we are working on, making it easier for our guests who will be using this technology to interact with Sankara.”

Another big area of focus for the hotel is the environment. Going forward, Mr Unni explains, the environment will be key, not just in terms of laws and legislations, but for the way customers interact with businesses.

“I think society in general will demand, not only hotels, but industries to be more environmentally conscious. So these are the things that I see that we should focus on to make sure that we offer the best service possible, and always are ahead of the curve.”

Mr Unni also recognises the importance of young entrepreneurs to the future of Kenyan hospitality, believing that the current exciting times for the country represent a wonderful opportunity for people to get involved.

“I always say this to all the young interns we have in the hotel,” Mr Unni says. “They have to be patient. They will have good days and bad days, that’s just the nature of the business.

There’s nothing wrong if they don’t enjoy it, but you need to give it a bit of time.”

12 Sankara Nairobi · Kenya

www.sankara.com

Mr Unni also admits that hospitality is not as easy as it looks. Hotels are a tough place to work, as they never close and tend to be at their busiest during other people’s holiday times. Those new to the business need to understand and adapt to this unique scenario.

“For Sankara, we’re always looking at the future, saying how can we set ourselves up so we’re always ahead of that curve. That goes not only from the guest’s perspective, also from our team members, but also from suppliers and also the local community.”

The hotel has a number of expansion plans for the future, beginning with an upgrade of its current facilities. Sankara will concentrate first on remaining relevant, continuing to move with the times and the changing preferences of its guests and staff.

“People are looking at Sankara and saying, what are you doing next?” Mr Unni concludes.

“Because they are always curious of what Sankara are doing next, so that’s a good position to be in.”

ASPIRE

Click below to watch our Exclusive Interview with Krishna Unni

Aspire Africa · Issue 6.0 13

www.Aspire-Africa.com

www.sankara.com Woodvale Grove, Westlands Nairobi, Kenya T: +254 20 420 8000 M: +254 703 028 000 F: +254 20 420 8888 E: connect@sankara.com