Dyed-in-the-wool hotelier hotelier who hosted Obama

Manish is a dyed-in-the-wool hotelier. Over his 25 years in the industry, he has worked in Delhi, Egypt, Tanzania, Singapore, Hong Kong and Mumbai. He’s fluent in six languages, including French and Arabic.

He also has the papers to back it up, in case you are wondering: he completed his European Executive MBA in the prestigious Reims Management School, one of the few business schools in the world to gain triple accreditation by the European EFMD, the British AMBA and the American AACSB. (The abbreviations mean they must be very important).

He also attended the Ivy-league Cornell School of Hotel Administration where he did his Masters in food service management.

We met in the hotel’s snazzy cigar room, surrounded by expensive cigars imprisoned behind glass cabinets. Manish was poised, just like the cigars.

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For the longest time, there was a perception that Kempinski was too elitist, expensive and unreachable. Was that ever a problem for you?

Well, hotels have evolved over time. Different people say they are 5-Star but that has become a myth. Anybody can call themselves 5-Star, but even in these establishments, there are levels of classification.

We position ourselves as a luxury hotel. The negative implication of using the word luxury is that people perceive it as expensive, which we are not.

We offer value to people who appreciate certain nuances of life. We are geared towards people who prefer premium products. Yes, there was a perception that we were unreachable, but today we see 60 per cent of clientele from Nairobi.

What’s your own definition of luxury?

Luxury is time and space. In today’s life, these are the two things you really don’t have. We replicate that here by giving you large spaces and plenty of time to choose and enjoy it. Luxury has a different connotation of price, though. Luxury is limited and that makes it more aspirational.

What’s the one thing you have learnt about wealth after rubbing shoulders with wealthy clients?

We target people who like a particular quality, not necessarily the most wealthy. In life, we have many people who have lots of money but don’t know how to enjoy their money.

There are also people who have just as much but know how to get the most of it. Someone once said people are wealthy because they don’t spend their money. (Laughs)

If you were to stay in one hotel in Nairobi, apart from here, where would that be?

Wow, in Nairobi? Well, choice of hotels is geographically defined. If you have work in the CBD, you might not necessarily want to say with us, the commute might kill you. There is leisure favourite, the downtown favourite and luxury favourite. Hospitality in Kenya is fantastic; you don’t have to teach people to smile and be eager to go the extra mile, they just take to it. So there are many options of where to stay.

What’s the quirkiest request you have received from a client in your career?

We try to keep our guests’ confidentiality, of course, which means as much as I am happy to tell you some of these quirky requests or idiosyncrasies, I might not be willing to reveal identities. But as an example, I once had a guest who wanted her bathtub filled with Evian water. So we had to bring in cases and cases of Evian water to fill her tub.

Sounds like a Hollywood star...

I can’t tell. There was also this guest who would not step out of his room or in any part of the hotel without his witch doctor going in first to check if all was okay.

West African?

(Laughs) Oh no, believe it or not, the person was not even African! We have people who are extremely successful that you run into that sometimes come with a lot of quirkiness. But when you are in this business, you aim to please. You have to make sure they are happy and that they want to come back.

What kind of guest are you?

I would like to be left alone. I like to have my space and my preferences are the most basic things in life. I’m not into the caviar and champagne kind of things.

For a hotel experience, I just need very attentive service and a clean room. I expect good, free internet. I expect fantastic children’s facility down to the menu. I expect that my bags come to my room immediately, and also good TV channels.

What’s your personal extravagance?

To be able to take six days off, take a hike and just be left alone. (Laughs)

When in your life were you most conflicted?

Whoa, that’s a very intense question man. Maybe I should have ordered for a whisky instead. (Pause) I’ve changed my profession many times. At some point I was doing very well in the profession of my choice as a chef.

I was a career chef for many years but I came to a point where I wondered if this was indeed what I wanted to do with my life. I was doing quite well and so it was tough but I chose to walk away. I just wanted to learn more, do something new.

Do you miss it?

Yes, but I cook at home for the family.

Talking of which, how long have you been married?

Fourteen years!

How have you made sure that she hasn’t left you given your hectic hospitality schedule?

(Laughs) I think it’s extremely important to find the right partner when you work in this industry. If your partner does not understand the demands of the job, things can get tricky. You know what the wives of hotel GMs are called, by the way? They are called Hotel Widows.

(Laughs) Because they don’t see you and they step in and do what has to be done when you are away working. But I have been lucky that she is understanding and supportive and she has taken care of stuff at home very well.

Kids?

Yes, a son, 12.

What’s the one thing your son can do that will completely break your heart?

You know, he’s free to do whatever makes him happy. He can choose his own path. I’m not a great believer in pressuring him with expectations. What we want him to be at the end of the day is a polite, respectful, kind and honest person. That’s my expectation. Will I love him more if he gets straight As? I don’t think so. (Laughs) I think to each to his own. He will put in his effort and he will get what he has worked for.

You have been doing this for 25 years. How do you make sure it doesn’t get boring, that you don’t burn out?

I’m into recreational activities. I hike, trek and dive. I like mountaineering. I love gardening and Kenya is blessed with some of the best landscapes. I love movies.

I listen to music during downtime. I want to climb Mount Everest... this is something I want to do and will do.

How old are you?

In my early 40s.

Everybody hits mid-life crisis at some point. Have you thought about yours?

You know, it’s funny I had a discussion with my son four days ago and since I have a hectic life and I have done some wild things in my life, he doesn’t see me driving a Harley Davidson. (Laughs)

So I’m not compelled to buy one. Look, there are always disappointments and challenges and unfulfilled dreams. I’m pretty content as we speak. I think I have some time to get there.

I need you to blink once if Obama stayed here and twice if he didn’t.

(Laughs) He stayed here. And that’s on the record.

What kind of a guy is he away from the cameras?

Fantastic guy. Very humble. Very cool. I’ve done three presidential hostings in my career; George Bush, Bill Clinton and now Obama. Each comes with a set of challenges.

The preparation happens six months prior to the visit and it’s detailed and specific.

You always wear branded shirts with your initials? Is that your style?

Oh no, the shirts are only branded so that they don’t get stolen! (Laughs aloud) No, because I wear mostly whites and most people in hotels wear white and we don’t want them getting mixed up.

This article was first published in the Business Daily.