KCB VENTURE 1 final

INDUSTRY FOCUS: HOSPITALITY
we all respect each other in
terms of what we are good at.
So everybody respects each
other’s contribution.”
Early this year, a pride of
lions killed a buffalo right
next to the watering point a
stone-throw away from the
hotel. For almost a week,
the lions didn’t move from
the kill. Guests would wake
up daily to find them lolling
about the watering point,
eating and napping and giving
everybody a front-seat show.
That is one of the charms of
Ole Sereni Hotel, this ringside
seats to the spectacle of
Nairobi National Park. From
the Eagle SteakHouse you can
sink into your rich leather
chair and feast your eyes on
the park. Or at sunset, a glass
of cognac in hand, sit at the
Water Hole Snack Bar and
watch the sun paint the park
orange, and then, red, with a
sharp paintbrush of warmth
and light.
However, the turbines of
Nairobi’s enterprise never
sleeps. Hotels are coming up
every month, some positioned
facing the park, threatening
to bite Ole Sereni’s pie. They
seem unperturbed. Rather,
they are unperturbed. “We are
not focused on what others
are doing,” Nazir says, “We
are focused on developing a
sustainable brand, something
that will stand the test of time
as a beacon of hospitality.”
To prove their point, they
went back to knock on the
door of their only friend who
has held their hands since that
day the dream was born; KCB
Bank. The bank has always
tailored their financial services
to what they need. They told
the bank they wanted to
embark on a bigger project:
Ole Sereni 2:0, or just OS2.
The project entails the
expansion of the existing hotel
with an additional 154 rooms,
three large conference rooms
with a capacity of 800 clients
and three basement parkings
with a holding capacity of 500
vehicles. They will have to
employ 150 more employees.
The project is meant to be
completed in two years time.
There is excitement and
enthusiasm all around. Ole
Sereni is taking it to the next
level and with it comes great
hopes. When you walk through
the foyer of the hotel and up
one of the winding staircases,
you will see a golden sculpture
of a leopard. It’s more than
a decoration. It’s what Ole
Sereni seems to embody; the
resilience and stealthiness of
a leopard. The hotel will not
make noise, but it gets its prey
all the time.
Do you have a dream?
Contact : +254 (20) 3270199
corporateservice@kcb.co.ke
HOSPITALITY
Ole Sereni
partnership
with KCB
Bank
“One of the basic
things is that KCB
Bank agreed to give
us the money in US
Dollars which was
very appropriate
for us in terms of
offering a bit of a
relief on the way our
projections would
work.”
Bhakoo Co-Director
at Ole Sereni.
Ole Sereni has grown over
time and continues to prosper
even as many hotels open shop
in Nairobi, competing for the
same pie. They are currently
embarking on a project called
OS2, or Ole Sereni Phase 2. The
project entails the expansion
of the existing hotel with an
additional 154 rooms, three
large conference rooms that has
a capacity of 800 clients, three
basement parking with a holding
capacity of 500 vehicles. The
project is meant to be complete
in two years’ time.
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