InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened its first Voco-branded hotel in Kenya and East Africa on October 2, adding 112 suites to the market close to Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.
The property, called Voco Nairobi Airport Suites, sits roughly eight kilometres from the airport, adjacent to the Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway terminus and the Nairobi Expressway, and is aimed at corporate commuters, transit passengers and long-stay business guests.
General Manager Amit Sharma explained that the hotel blends apartment-style living with hotel services, saying it “caters to modern travellers seeking home-like comfort combined with convenience.”
Each suite is offered in one-bedroom, two-bedroom or presidential layouts and includes a kitchen, workspace, balcony and laundry facilities, while the venue provides 623 square metres of meeting and events space across four rooms, the largest being Mara Hall at 235 square metres with capacity for 180 delegates.
Additional amenities feature the rooftop Kilimanjaro Restaurant, Savannah Lounge, Cigar Haven, Malt & Mocha café and a fitness centre.
IHG, which operates 21 brands and counted 7,109 hotels with more than 1.04 million rooms worldwide as of June 2026, views the Nairobi opening as a gateway into a market positioned as a regional hub for business, transport and tourism.
The launch coincides with a period of renewed growth in Kenya’s tourism sector, where the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics recorded a 6.2 per cent rise in international arrivals to 2.55 million in 2025 and a 12.6 per cent increase in hotel bed-night occupancy.
The World Bank’s Kenya Country Private Sector Diagnostic highlighted tourism as one of four sectors with strong potential to attract private investment, estimating that reforms could unlock about $1.5 billion and generate tens of thousands of jobs.
Industry data from the World Travel & Tourism Council placed travel and tourism’s contribution to Kenya’s GDP at $12.7 billion (9.3 per cent) in 2025, supporting 1.8 million jobs and attracting $5 billion in international visitor spending.
