Kenyan hotels to be classified after 10-year wait

After more than a decade, Kenyan hotels will now undergo classification this year.

The last hotel classification exercise was conducted in 2016, with hotels being awarded a one-, two-, three-, four- or five-star rating.

Tourism and Wildlife Cabinet Secretary Ms Rebecca Miano said all hospitality properties will be classified a fresh by the Tourism Regulatory Authority (TRA).

"During last year's Jamhuri Day celebrations we launched training of verifiers, and in the next couple of months we shall be conducting the exercise," she said in Mombasa.

And speaking separately, stakeholders in the tourism industry welcomed the move, which they said was long overdue.

Mr Bobby Kamani, a hospitality expert and Africa specialist, said that Kenya is one of the earlier countries in the region to attempt a structured hotel classification system.

"In the late 70s and 80s, classification was largely inspection-led, and facilities focused on room size, bathrooms, restaurants, and swimming pools – very much a legacy of colonial and European models of hospitality. Over time, as tourism diversified and private sector investments increased, systems struggled to keep pace. By the early 2000s, classification existed more on paper than in practice, and many properties simply outgrew the framework that was meant to evaluate them,'' Kamani said.

He reiterated that the real value of this years-long overdue classification exercise will solely depend on how it is conducted, not whether it happens.

"If Kenya gets this right, hotel classification can quietly become one of the strongest foundations for competitiveness, investor confidence and guest satisfaction," he said.

Kamani said that one under-discussed issue is that the traditional star systems tend to reward infrastructure more than experience.

''Kenya today is a global leader in experiential hospitality – safari lodges, conservancy camps, eco retreats, and cultural and community-anchored properties that may

intentionally not have marble lobbies or multiple restaurants. A rigid, one-size-fits-all checklist risks undervaluing exactly the kind of properties that have made Kenya competitive on the world stage,'' he said.

He explained further that another perspective that is often missed is that classification should be viewed as a development tool, not just a rating.

''If inspection outcomes are anonymised and aggregated, they can reveal sector-wide gap skill shortages, sustainability weaknesses and safety blind spots that policymakers, training institutions and investors can then address,'' he stated.

Kamani said for the exercise this year to earn industry trust, it must be transparent, consistent and collaborative.

"Inspectors need deep operational understanding, not just regulatory authority. Hoteliers need clarity on criteria and timelines, and agencies like the Kenya

The Tourism Board and other regulators ought to position classification as a partnership in quality, not a box-ticking exercise.

Mombasa Tourism Council (MTC) chairman, Dr Sam Ikwaye, said that the exercise is long overdue.

''The law requires that classification be done after every five years, but it has been over a decade now since the last one was done, making it difficult to quit and guarantee standards over the period,'' Dr Ikwaye said.

He said since the East African Community (EAC) developed common classification criteria for various categories of tourism accommodation establishments and restaurants, which were adopted in 2009, it remains prudent that its spirit needs to be maintained.

The categories of accommodation that are covered by the classification criteria include town hotels, vacation hotels, lodges, tented camps, motels, villas, cottages, and serviced apartments.

Hotelier Cyrus Chamia of Jacyjoka Holiday Apartments in Mombasa County said that the exercise keeps hotels on their toes in terms of service delivery, and all must support it.