From humble beginnings in 2011, the idea that started from a move to fill the gap in luxury hotels has turned into one of the most succesful brands in the hospitality sector

In 12 years, PrideInn Hotels and Resorts has grown from one hotel with 28 rooms to eight in five counties, with over 900 rooms and conference capacities of more than 15,000 people. A journey that could be easily described as ‘too good to be true’, having been started by 27-year-old Hasnain Noorani in 2011.

Looking back, Mr Noorani says he was inspired by the necessity to fill a gap in the market of luxury hotels.

“PrideInn started very humbly in 2011,” he said during the PrideInn rebranding ceremony in Mombasa at the PrideInn Paradise Hotel. “It was never about the chain of hotels. At that time, I was travelling from Eldoret to Nairobi and there were only two (luxury) hotels in Westlands. I noticed something that would give me value for money.”

Mr Noorani, who is an engineer by training, says he had just stopped working as an engineer when the idea to branch out and venture into hotel industry popped up.

“I have a degree in engineering. I worked for four years before I realized engineering was not for me. I was more of a PR person, and I started looking out for what I wanted to do. This is when the whole idea (of starting the hotel) came about,” he says.

To start off, Mr Noorani set out the vision that would lay the foundation for the facility and its culture, which he has sustained for over 12 years. The first project, PrideInn Westlands, would cost the billionaire about Sh150 million ($1 million).

“We started approaching various banks to get finance. I was rejected six times and I was nearly losing hope. At the seventh time, courtesy of my father, we managed to get the first loan to start us off,” he says.

The budding hotelier built a 28-room hotel within two years and, as fate would have it, he received his first client who booked 25 rooms for Sh15,335 ($100) per night. The client paid 75 per cent deposit, which would set the pace for a 100% occupancy for the first six months after completion.

“Imagine the happiness of seeing a cheque of Sh1.15 million ($7,500) for a start. I jumped out of joy,” he adds.

After six months, Mr Noorani says the hotel was receiving more bookings than the number of rooms they had, triggering the idea of expansion. This would be executed by buying already existing facilities through credit, thanks to a piece of advice he received from a friend.

In three years time, the PrideInn brand would expand exponentially to six outlets marketed as budget hotels. One of the facilities, PrideInn Paradise in Mombasa, had been left idle for over seven years before he was invited to buy the facility, which would cost close to about Sh3.83 billion ($25 million).

“It was 2014. Mombasa was on its knees. People (investors) were exiting. I was stressed and had discussions with my dad on whether to buy the hotel or not). Then something came into my mind, what’s the worst that can happen? Finally, I got the financing and this (PrideInn Paradise) is what we have today.

“I still remember the first day when we opened on 15th December 2015 I had become very emotional. By the time we opened PrideInn Paradise, we discovered that Dubai and London had positioned themselves as MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibition) centres. Mombasa had not positioned itself as MICE destination. It was purely for leisure,” he explains.

Mr Noorani says he noted the MICE gap in Mombasa, and put up a conference facility in the coastal city. He says that the business experienced a tough year in 2016, a time he felt like giving up on the business, but there was a turnaround in 2017.

In July 2017, the businessman made a new acquisition, PrideInn Flamingo. However, the acquisition was faced with a fierce court battle, which almost saw the company declared bankrupt.

“My team and my family stood by me. It was a terrible time. The clients were even more worried. Our clients stood by us and we assured them of our commitment and we managed to sail through, although we were slapped with a hefty fine,” Mr Noorani says.

In December 2019, PrideInn signed a management contract with Azure before taking charge in February 2020, a month before Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, and they were forced to shut down.

“The moment we took charge of PrideInn Azure in February 2020, in March, Covid struck and we had to shut down. That was one of the incidences that threw us down,” he says.

After about three to six months, the hotel managed to reopen, setting the pace for another ambitious expansion bid, with a major focus on local tourism. They signed another management contract with PrideInn Mara Camp and PrideInn Plaza in Athi River.

“In just a decade we have grown from one hotel of 28 rooms to eight hotels in five different counties with over 900 rooms and conference facilities of 15,000 people. We started as a company of only 20 people. Today we have over 1,500 people that are working with the PrideInn Hotels,” he adds.

Mr Noorani says when PrideInn was founded in 2011, focus was on creating a budget brand that offered 4 and 5-star services. However, with time, the company entered the premium segment in response to demand in the Kenyan market for home-grown quality hospitality services.

“Today we are ushering in a new chapter of PrideInn with the unveiling of our new brand identity. The image that we are leaving behind no longer resonates with our target audience and the kind of services we now offer. Our new image seeks to modernize the brand and align it with current consumer preferences,” Mr Noorani says.

PrideInn takes pride in eight branches including PrideInn Azure, which opened doors in 2020, and PrideInn Mara Camp and PrideInn Plaza Hotel, both opened in 2022. The company also refurbished PrideInn Diani and PrideInn Westlands Luxury Boutique Hotel in 2022 and 2023, respectively. Others include PrideInn Paradise, PrideInn Flamingo and PrideInn Nyali.  (via Businesstoday.co.ke )