Hilton pushes opening of JKIA hotel to May on works delays
Global hotel chain Hilton Worldwide says construction delays have forced them to push the opening of its Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) hotel to May next year.
Hilton planned to open its 171-roomed Hilton Garden Inn in March this year, targeting thousands of passengers who travel through JKIA every day and in need an easy-to-access hotel.
The New York Stock Exchange-listed hotelier, which will operate the Sh2.3 billion facility under contract management, says unexpected hitches during construction has forced them to push the opening date to next year.
“The hotel is now expected to open in May 2017. Changes to the expected date are not unusual and we look forward to welcoming guests once the hotel is open,” Hilton Worldwide Holdings said in response to queries from the Business Daily.
The Hilton Garden Inn is a mid-priced brand targeting travellers and businessmen, hence the strategy to position itself next to the region’s busiest airport.
JKIA handles an average of 500,000 passengers monthly. International travellers — the captive market for airport hotels — make up three quarters of the total passenger traffic, according to data from the Kenya Airports Authority.
Airport hotels also profit from events such as flight delays, reschedules or cancelled journeys.
Hilton has in recent years opened airport hotels at Heathrow in London, Ataturk in Istanbul and Schipol in Amsterdam.
