Taste of Thai heaven in Nairobi

“I’ve never seen you so enthusiastic about a place!” my colleague said. True, I was enthusiastic — excited even.

We had had a long Saturday morning’s work. I was preparing for a week’s assignment in Karamoja in the arid lands of northern Uganda; so I knew we weren’t going to have anything like a special meal until we moved down for the final phase in Kampala. So I suggested that we try a late lunch at the new hotel in Chiromo — the strangely named “dusitD2 nairobi”.

I had picked up their brochure at the Xplore Travel Fair held at the Karen Blixen Museum in September. It is a very stylish brochure, but I wondered what it signified that its front cover was entirely taken up with an arresting photograph of an elegant black model.

But style and elegance are what you see as soon as you step into foyer of dusitD2 nairobi. The colours — the browns, beiges and oranges — warmly blend; silver sculptures catch your eye; to the right, the long bar attracts; the easy chairs and soft cushions invite.

It took me back to a few hotels I have been lucky to know in South and South-East Asia, especially in Bangkok. This is not surprising, because the Dusit International chain of hotels emerged 65 years ago from Thailand, where it now has 12 hotels. And there are Dusit hotels in India, the Philippines, China, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, the Maldives, the United States.

Across the road from the hotel’s entrance there is their Thai Soi Restaurant — aptly named, because it means something like “street-side”. It is beautifully designed and furnished with superb examples of Thai artistry. It deserves a visit and its own Going Places.

For our late lunch, we turned to the left of the foyer to sample the ground floor Soko Restaurant with its “international” cuisine. The sauce on the main course gammon steak was very tasty; the dessert, exquisite — a cranberry and vodka crème brulée with a pistachio sponge.

DECLARED INTEREST

After lunch, I declared my interest and requested a tour of the hotel. Brian Mbau took us round very well. He began by explaining the Dusit name — Thai for “a town in heaven”. The Dusit Thai are the classic five star hotels, with the most famous, of course, in Bangkok.

The DusitD2 brand is pitched at business travellers — and there must be plenty of these staying around the dusitD2 nairobi, set as it is in the Riverside Woods business complex off Riverside Drive.

The brand aims to particularly attract the younger business travellers. As the main Dusit website says, its style is a “contemporary colourful chic and a refreshing sense of playfulness”.

Yes, the Nairobi example is certainly contemporary, colourful and chic. And the playfulness comes out in a number of ways: in the “breakout” lounge with its big metal studio lights and brightly coloured pouffes; in the row of green ceramic cows along a broad window ledge — and soon the hotel will have a red-tiled swimming pool.

For more serious matters, there are four DStudio conference or meeting rooms, smartly styled in black and white. I guess you would call them “state of the art” in their presentation equipment. And for reading yourself to sleep after a day of brainstorming, the hotel will provide guests iPads stocked with e-books.

WELL DESIGNED

The bedrooms are well designed, too. There are 101 rooms in three main types. Yes, perhaps you will have guessed – DLight, DLuxe and DVine. All of them are amply furnished and well-appointed: large beds, plenty of hanging space, efficient work desks, TV with 42 channels, mini-bars, tea and coffee making equipment, and spruce bathrooms.

There is a fourth category: DSire. Brian seemed reluctant to give us the price of these. The standard DLuxe rooms are $170 (Sh15,000) and the DLight rooms are $230 (Sh20,000). But remember these are rack rates and, no doubt, negotiable.

If you pay the extra and stay in a room on the fifth or sixth floors you have your own lounge and dining area — and free access for two hours a day to small meeting rooms. Also, you have a complimentary jet-lag Thai massage. (The spa will also be open in a week or so.)
My own experience of a Thai massage was something quite strong; I hadn’t expected to have my arms bent to their limits and my back heavily knelt on. It was invigorating rather than relaxing. I guess, if you ask nicely, you can have the more gentle Swedish style.

Though only two months old, the occupancy is running at over 50 per cent. To get a table in the Soi Restaurant you have to book two or three days in advance. For people living around, this is going to be a very popular place.
John Fox is the Managing Director, iDC