This archive report was first published on 10 January 2020.
The Southern Sun Mayfair Hotel in Nairobi has closed its doors, marking the end of an era for the hotel group owned by South African hospitality giant Tsogo Sun.
According to a statement from the company, the hotel will officially cease operations on January 31, 2020, after the lease was not renewed. All employees have been provided with support in line with labour laws, and their contracts have been terminated following due consultation.
The hotel, which had a capacity of 171 rooms, struggled to compete with the influx of new properties in the industry. A report by the BD newspaper noted that the opening of new hotels saw the available rooms in Nairobi hit over 20,000, while another 27 hotels are set to open in Kenya in the near future, as per the Hotel Chain Development Pipelines in Africa 2019 report.
