Hotels report roaring business as shop, small traders suffer losses

Five star hotels within the city where guests for the Global Entrepreneurship Summit are staying have for the last two days been under tight security with the government not leaving anything to chance.

The hotels are currently recording brisk business from the estimated 3,000 visitors who include business moguls, celebrities and foreign government officials who are attending the Global Entrepreneurship Summit which ends today.

Reports indicate that the Serena Hotel, Hotel InterContinental, Laico, Safari Park, Crowne Plaza, Holiday Inn, Norfolk, Sankara and Kempinski had registered full bookings, with most of the guests said to be Americans.

So far US President Barack Obama has managed to keep the world guessing about which hotel he is staying as hotel officials are unwilling to speak about the state of their bookings or visitors.

Pictures released on Friday night showing Mr Obama having dinner with members of his Kenyan family including his half-sister Auma Obama and step grandmother Sarah Obama did not indicate which hotel they were in.

However heavily armed General Service Unit (GSU), NYS and even prison wardens who have been patrolling the street indicates the seriousness of Kenya to ensure an incident-free stay for its guests.

At the Stanley Hotel in Nairobi’s central business district the hawk eyed GSU assisted by American personnel in plain clothes have been manning its premises round the clock since Friday evening.

The GSU have even taken over directing of traffic duties from City Council askaris who are usually stationed at the intersection between Kenyatta avenue that passes outside the hotel and Kimathi street. 

On Friday night, the hotel posted a photo of American musician Akon. In the photo posted on its Twitter account, Akon who is part of the speakers at the summit was standing beside the hotel’s general manager Paolo Marro.

“Welcome to Nairobi @Akon. It’s our pleasure to have you stay with us,” read the tweet.

The Intercontinental Hotel has also been under tight security so has been Villa Rosa Kempinski in Westlands which has technically been a no go zone since Friday afternoon after roads around the seven star establishment were barricaded.

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The 200-room hotel has already hosted former US president Bill Clinton and Kenya’s Hollywood actress Lupita Nyongo.

The Inter-Continental hotel has previously hosted his Vice-President Joe Biden, and former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

US secretary of State John Kerry stayed at the Sankara hotel in Westlands when he visited in May. The hotel has also been placed under tight security indicating that it is playing host to delegates at the summit.

But as five star hotels continue recording brisk business, other businesses are registering losses.

Shops and restaurants recorded low activity as Nairobians kept away from city to escape the uncertainty of traffic jams Mr Obama’s visit was bound to create.

The streets which are usually clogged with traffic remained clear for the better part of Friday and Saturday. This is despite a refusal by the government to declare Friday a traffic holiday.

“I haven’t received any customer since morning. Friday was bad but I thought many people would turn out in town to see President Obama but that has not been the case,” said Wycliffe Mwaura, a taxi driver along Kimathi Street.

However, some tour firms took advantage of the situation and took the chance to offer out of town escapades for Nairobians who did not want to get caught up in this uncertainty.

A Twitter hashtag #Obamigration has been trending.