SERENA Hotels, Resorts, Lodges and Camps will unveil the new look of its Mara Serena Safari Lodge and Sweetwaters Serena Camp at this month’s WTM.
The group has, over the past year, embarked on an extensive refurbishment of these properties.
The ‘new public areas’ have been actively under construction at the Mara Serena Safari Lodge since February last year and has been taking place in different phases.
The first two phases included an arrival lobby, a reception, gift shop, bar lounge, terrace, and the Maisha spa and gym, new coffee station and lounge, new public area washrooms, an internal fireplace, terrace and a court yard as well as a refurbished ining room.
The final phase of the $2.1-million Mara Serena Safari Lodge refurbishment will involve creation of more terraces by the dining room, and is expected to be complete in December 2013.
“The outcome of the renovations has been extremely successful and we have continued to receive very positive feedback from our guests, given we ensured minimal interruptions and provided alternative facilities like the “under canvas” temporary dining facilities,” said Mahmud Jan Mohamed, managing director, Serena Hotels.
Mara Serena Safari Lodge is located at the centre of the ‘Mara Triangle’ of the renowned Masai Mara National Reserve. It is 320 km from Nairobi. The property features 74 rooms including family rooms and a suite.
The group’s five- star Sweetwaters Serena Camp has also unveiled new developments as part of its $2.4-million project which includes a new building that has been constructed to further expand its service operations. In July last year, the camp unveiled 11 new tents that now make up the superior Morani Wing.
Sweetwaters Serena Camp is located on the plains of Mount Kenya, and features fifty tents, each with its own private veranda overlooking the water hole.
The camp lies at the center of the 110,000-acre Ol Pejeta Conservancy, which lies on the Laikipia plains 17 km from Nanyuki and 217 km from Nairobi.
Serena Hotels regional sales and marketing director says: “The World Travel Market is always a great opportunity for the travel industry and the Serena Hotels establishments to meet its partners, establish new business contact with the different source markets, as well as reaffirm business commitment with the existing market and this year is no exception.
“We are happy yet again to be sharing news on our latest improvements – the Mara Serena Safari Lodge and Sweetwaters Serena Camp which we have just unveiled to the market, as well as other improvements in our properties in the Northern Circuit in Tanzania. The World Travel Market is also a platform for us to continue getting the latest market trends, which we then align in the best way possible to meet our client needs and the market needs in general.”
The Serena Hotels portfolio includes 24 hotels, camps, lodges and resorts located in Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Uganda, Rwanda and Mozambique, and 11 properties in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Tajikistan.