Kenya’s hospitality industry stands out for its warmth, resilience, and exceptional talent, making the country a leading destination for travelers seeking authentic experiences and top-notch service.
But here’s a question for all of us: will the next generation of global hotel brands carry Kenyan names, or will we forever host under someone else’s flag?
According to businessdailyafrica, for decades, local hotel owners and investors have carried the spirit of Karibu Kenya, welcoming the world with unmatched professionalism.
Our hotels, lodges, and camps have been the heartbeat of tourism, shaping experiences that bring millions to our country. Yet as more international hotel chains set up in Kenya, we must ask: are we building our industry’s future on borrowed names, or nurturing our own to become tomorrow’s global leaders?
International chains undoubtedly bring value—global visibility, expertise, and jobs. But the profits flow abroad, decisions are made elsewhere, and our pioneers risk being overshadowed in their own home market.
READ: Africa: Kenya’s Tourism and Hospitality Industry Rebounds, Reaches Pre-Covid Growth Levels
Kenyan hotel brands deserve the same incentives, financing, and global exposure offered to foreign players. With a disciplined, highly skilled workforce already sought after worldwide, why shouldn’t Kenyan brands dominate regionally and globally?
In fact, Kenyan hospitality professionals have long been our greatest export. From Dubai to Doha, from Mauritius to southern Africa, our chefs, managers, and staff are in high demand and are well-trained, polished, and trusted to deliver excellence.
Even in Europe, Kenyan graduates are finding opportunities, valued for their professionalism and service culture. If our people can power the success of other countries’ hotel industries, why can’t our own brands be given the tools to succeed at home and abroad?
Other countries have shown us what is possible. In South Africa, Protea Hotels grew from a modest local chain in the 1980s to more than 100 properties across Africa, proving that African hospitality brands can achieve continental scale.
Yet its eventual acquisition by Marriott in 2014 is a double-edged lesson: without strong national and regional support, even successful African brands risk being absorbed by global giants rather than standing as independent players.
In contrast, India’s Taj Hotels began with a single property in Mumbai in 1903 and, with deliberate government and private sector backing, evolved into one of the most respected hospitality names worldwide.
Morocco, too, made its riads (traditional guesthouses) and homegrown hotel groups central to its national tourism campaigns, ensuring that Moroccan-owned hospitality brands, not just international labels, are showcased as part of the country’s global identity.
These examples prove two things: Kenya can build strong hotel brands, and with the right policies, those brands can remain independent, scale globally, and carry their countries’ flags proudly. Kenya has every advantage—talent, reputation, and credibility. What we need is a deliberate policy push that ensures our local brands grow into global icons, not footnotes in someone else’s success story.
So what steps can we take? The government can start by making access to affordable financing a reality for Kenyan investors, so that expanding a local chain is not a privilege reserved only for multinationals.
Participation in global tourism expos, where Kenyan hotels already make their mark, should be subsidised and promoted as a national investment, not an individual burden.
Incentives such as tax breaks, land concessions, and dedicated promotional campaigns must be extended equally to local brands, not just foreign ones.
And importantly, every time the government signs memoranda of understanding with other nations, market access for Kenyan businesses, especially hotel brands, should be part of the deal, just as aviation agreements have supported airlines.
So the question again is: when the world thinks of Africa’s finest hotels, will they remember us as hosts or as owners?
Regional expansion should be viewed as a strategic priority: just as Kenya Airways and Ethiopian Airlines carried their nations beyond borders, Kenyan hotel brands must be enabled to plant their flag across Africa and the globe.
Kenya’s strength lies not in importing labels but in exporting our own. The time has come for deliberate policies that elevate local hotel investors, grow our brands, and proudly fly our flag on the world stage.
