KENYAN group Prestige Hotels has rebranded part of its portfolio and created an all-inclusive resort in a bid to compete more effectively in the long-haul market.
The company has spent more than £600,000 to combine and renovate its Silver Beach and Silver Sands properties to create the all-inclusive three-star Voyager Resorts in Mombasa.
The Voyager Resorts name will also tag Prestige’s three-star safari camps in Mara and Ziwani. In October the group will also announce the creation of a four and five-star brand – Intrepid Safari Company which includes camps in Mara, Samburu and Kipungani.
Prestige says the rebranding was carried out in order to clearly differentiate between three, four and five-star accommodation. In addition, the company is also to change its name to Heritage Hotels later in the year.
Managing director David Stogdale explained the restructuring: “In the past we have taken tourism for granted in Kenya because we have wonderful properties. But they needed refocusing. We realised we must look at world- class standards for us to get back on top as a destination in the long-haul market.
“Now there is a lot more competition in the long-haul market with many parts of Africa opening up, as well as the Caribbean, Mauritius and the Seychelles. We did not fully recognise rival expansion but we have come back with a stronger product.”
He added that research showed there was a market to create a resort concept based on the all-inclusive model and linked to safari.