Radisson Blu to reopen Upper Hill hotel after pandemic-induced closure

In a statement issued Thursday, the hotel said that it would resume operations in May under a new management.

“The hotel will reopen on May 9th, 2022, under new ownership, with the goal of achieving the highest international standards,” read the statement in part.

Russel Storey has been appointed as the General Manager to run the upscale hotel, which was closed in December 2020 due to low bookings as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At the time, the brand stopped operations in the 271-room hotel and sent its staff home, but kept its sister outlets, Radisson Blu Hotel & Residence Nairobi Arboretum and Park Inn by Radisson Nairobi Westlands.

The Upper Hill hotel is the company’s largest facility in the country, with the other two having a joint bed capacity of 262.

Radisson Blu’s reopening comes at a time when hotels nationwide have been opening doors as the upheaval of the pandemic gradually lessens.

Naitobi Fairmont The Norfolk hotel recently announced that it will resume operations in April after a 21-month closure.

The country’s COVID-19 positivity rate now stands at 0.2 percent, with 29.7% of the ​​population fully vaccinated.

The Ministry of Health on March 11 relaxed the COVID-19 containment measures following relatively fewer cases as well as positivity rates over the past couple of months.

These include lifting the mandatory wearing of face masks in open public spaces as well as the resumption of PSVs, trains, and domestic air freight services at full capacity.