By LYDIA LIMBE
NAIROBI, KENYA: Hotels are falling over themselves to step out from the crowd, and one way they are doing this is through elaborate interior décor. Among the first to go all out was Tribe Hotel, with an artsy look. Then came Sankara with a modern chic business traveller friendly look. One of the younger kids on the block is Kempinski Villa Rosa.
It is a huge towering pink building on Waiyaki Way, Nairobi. At night, it glistens from the white lights around it.
The main colour in the hotel lobby is purple —the colour of royalty. And this royalty feel is complemented by the king-styled high-back seats on both ends of the lobby, as well as golden, leaf-like hues on the walls and ceiling.
At the centre is a water fountain, the inside lined with tiny pink coloured tiles with white lights — just like it is on the outside of the building.
The dining area is divided from the bar with three huge wood-framed glass doors that look like revolving doors. You also have a choice of the usual fine dining sitting while having your meals, or sit in a booth for a more casual and cosy feel.
On the walls of the dining area is glass, which has been made to look rusty. This is especially noticeable at the buffet station. You can see yourself while serving, but not clear enough to distract you from the task at hand.
The bar has several sitting options. There are bar stools by the counter, or if you do not like to be too close to the barman, you can sit on the high table. And they are the comfortable type, complete with a back and foot rest.
There is the outdoor option overlooking Waiyaki Way, doubling up as a smoking zone. At the centre is for those who like the puffy, soft cushioned sitting.
On the other end is the bar, a lounge-style sitting, with leather seats. The wall is made of marble tiles with wooden floors, and this space is defined using a wall-to-floor wine rack.
CIGAR ROOM
Perhaps the most interesting feature of this hotel is the cigar room. Not a cigarette room. You got the outdoors for that. A cigar room is for the discerning smoker with swag.
It is carpeted from wall-to-wall, and you are required to have a certain dress code to be allowed in. Yes! Men should be dressed in a suit and tie, while ladies are to be dressed in a gown.
Plus, while you enjoy your cigar in this exclusive room, you can buy the 100-year-old Remmy Martin Champagne Cognac, Louis XIII at Sh20,000 per tot. The whole bottle is Sh250,000, and it is beautifully displayed in a glass case like the prized commodity that it is.
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In the lift and right outside it, is a detailed flower designed using tiny ceramic floor tiles. Along the corridors are seats of different designs meant for short-term sitting – judging by the designs. There are high-back, low-back and backless seats.
As is expected, Kempinski rooms are of modern décor, with a his-and-her’s vanity set, complete with a walk-in closet. The boardroom is warm and inviting from the cream coloured puffed up leather seats with two of those 75-inch flat screen smart TVs.
Right outside the boardroom is the tea area. What stands in place of the usual tea urn is a stylish polished chrome coloured kettle for brewing tea. The top where the actual kettle is holds tea bags/leaves, while the bottom holds hot water.
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