Sarova Goes Into Restaurant Business As Covid-19 Bites

As giants in the hotel business such as Radisson Blu announce shutting down operations and sending home staff, Sarova Hotels and Resort is choosing another path, targeting the middle-class by entering into the restaurant business.

As Covid-19 continues to hit and affect the hotel business around the country, Sarova has now set up two restaurants at Urban Eatery in Westlands— Chiso that will focus on Japanese, Malay, Thai, Indonesian and Chinese food and The Kitchen, which will offer Western, African and Indian food.

“This has been a very challenging year for the hospitality industry. Taking our cuisine brands out of our hotels and making them stand-alone restaurants is our latest new development,” said Jimi Kariuki, Sarova managing director.

A drop in the arrival of international visitors that formed the customer base for Sarova has taken a heavy toll on their business. During the year, the hotel became the first 5-star hotel in Kenya to start a food delivery service where customers would have their food delivered after ordering.

“We feel the market has become quite sophisticated in terms of cuisines and that’s why we decided to venture outside the hotel,” Mr. Kariuki said saying that the choice of Urban Eatery was because of its trendy nature.

READ: Sarova Hotels And Resort Recognized At An International Award

The Covid-19 On Hotel Business

The coming of Covid-19 hit hard on the hotel business in the country. The majority of them were ordered to shut down operations as they sort to adhere to the Covid-19 protocols. The cessation of movement that was put in place by President Uhuru Kenyatta made things worse.

The number of visitors arriving into the country during the year dropped by over 80 percent according to the stats released by the Ministry of Tourism. This meant that the occupancy by hotels was greatly affected. Some chose to shut down permanently.

READ: Radisson Blu Hotel Shuts Down Its Upper Hill Outlet