The Maa Hotel and Suites in Hurlingham is officially open to the public, following an exquisite launch that was witnessed at the magnificent facility, on Friday, May 26.
The launch was presided over by Tourism, Wildlife, and Heritage CS Peninah Malonza who was also the chief guest at that occasion.
The exclusive event was also graced by Defence CS Aden Duale and Turkish Ambassador to Kenya, Subutay Yuksel among other guests.
Maa Hotel and Suites whose name was borrowed from the Maasai community is a 3-star hotel with a total of 144 rooms.
The new facility is located along Jabavu Road, opposite DOD (Kenya Army Headquarters), and just 2.8 Kilometres from Nairobi Central Business District.
Speaking at the launch, Duale said the entry of the executive Hotel into the hospitality industry was a big boost to the Kenyan economy, as far as revenue generation and employment are concerned.
“This is a very secure locality and security is number one. Two, this is one of the biggest and most important mosques that we have in this city, so at least you will get a lot of worshippers who will come for prayers here,” Duale said.
“You will not go wrong when you build a Hotel in Nairobi but of course the location matter but there is still a need for more accommodation in Nairobi. This Hotel is in the right place and we will pray for you because we want every business in our country to prosper and every businessman will get equal opportunities.”
Duale assured investors that Kenya Kwanza has no State capture and therefore they should not be afraid to invest in different sectors of the economy.
“Even if the president owns a Hotel called Weston, he will not use his office to muscle other hotels unlike before,” Duale said.
CS Malonza lauded the Maa Hotel's management for going the Halal way with a revelation that it’s a niche that has not been explored by many investors.
She said she was confident that the tourism sector will greatly benefit from Halal tourism.
“Halal tourism is one of the fasters growing sectors in the tourism industry in Kenya and is by no means limited to Muslims but also offers an experience to like-minded and value-driven customers. This will further open up the tourism sector in our country,” Malonza said.
“Kenya boasts of having Halal-rated facilities and on that note, let me take this opportunity to thank and congratulate the management of Maa Hotel and Suites for having the confidence to put up investment of this magnitude here in Kenya and specifically in Nairobi City.”
She said she had just begun campaigns for Halal tourism and CS Duale is a witness.
"I approached him to help me get businessmen of Garissa to actualize this dream," Malonzo said.
Maa Hotel and Suites General manager, Mohamed Adan, gave a brief history of the facility and how the name Maa was acquired.
“Discover the difference is our tag line and most of you have come here to discover what is different about this place. You have been to many hotels but what’s special about this one?" Adan posed.
“I know many of you have heard the word Halal, but maybe wondering what does it mean? This is just following the Islamic principles and the foundations of our faith and largely Halal to us is more of a culture of how we live and everything."
He said Maa is the short form for the word Maasai.
"But you may ask why Maasai? Upon investigation, you will realize there is no other single community that has had a symbolic impact on Kenya's National symbols. So the whole idea is, you have this Halal concept and you want to tell all Kenyans that they are welcome to experience the Halal journey," he said.