The Hilton hotel in Nairobi, Kenya’s capital, will close its doors after 53 years of operation.

The renowned Hilton Hotel, located in the heart of Nairobi’s Central Business District (CBD), will shut indefinitely after 53 years of operation. Its demise at the end of this year might result in the eviction of a large number of employees and the disruption of the luxury industry.

“The Hilton Hotel is not just about tourism; it is also about Nairobi’s history,” says Moses Otieno, a Nairobi native. “When you see Nairobi without the picture of the Hilton Hotel, without the KICC (Kenyatta International Convention Centre), without the Parliament buildings, it is not Nairobi.”

Hilton Hotels, which owns 40.57 percent of the company, is not leaving Kenya totally, and will continue to run its other brands in the nation.

Aside from cash flow issues, Steve Milimo says that running large hotels inside the CBD is proving difficult.”

I don’t believe it has anything to do with the hotel industry’s present problem, but rather with the market’s current trend, says the branch supervisor of Asamara restaurants in Nairobi.

Because, if we look at how Nairobi CBD used to be and how the CBD is today, we can honestly state that it is not ideal for large hotels to be located there “..

Nonetheless, the hospitality business was severely impacted by the Covid-19 laws, and in order to remain afloat, hotels and restaurants devised new techniques, just as this firm did.

“We took all precaution necessary to keep our employees and customers safe, and I believe it proved to be a wise choice in the long run since this specific branch that we are in, our Lavington branch, was established in the midst of the epidemic,” explains Emily Sagini of Asmara restaurants.

Given the low number of visitors entering the nation and the impact of the present economic issues on prospective local consumers, the hospitality and tourism business remains unpredictable.

The closing of this hotel, two years after the demise of the famed Intercontinental Hotel, presents a bleak picture of Kenya’s hospitality industry’s current state.