Luxury hotel Giraffe Manor denies discriminating against Kenyans

Giraffe Manor, one of the most exclusive hotels in the upmarket Karen neighborhood,  has dismissed claims that it is discriminating Kenyans.

The hotel in a statement to newsrooms on Tuesday, said it was disappointed to read accusations implying any form of discrimination at Giraffe Manor following a poster published by an independent agent communicating its reopening on June 1 after closure due to Covid-19.

According to the hotel, the wording in the advertisement posted by the independent agent was misconstrued to indicate that it previously did not open its doors to Kenyans.

"This is factually incorrect. Our mission since we bought Giraffe Manor eleven years ago has always been to provide an unparalleled and world class experience for all our clients regardless of colour, tribe, religion, sex or nationality. We are incredibly proud to represent the best of Kenyan hospitality," the statement read.

The hotel came under sharp criticism by Kenyans online who alleged the hotel previously shunned locals, and was only now opening its doors to them since there were no foreign tourists flying into the country due to the coronavirus.

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Dear Giraffe Manor Management @thesafaricollection You are cancelled & we don’t need to be welcomed into Giraffe Manor, only now that you need KENYANS because all your white rich guests can’t travel into your establishment because of the Corona. My friend @smilesbeckwith [a travel consultant and owner of a travel company] tried to book a stay with you, last year between Sept and Oct, we called your establishment to inquire if we could stay a night - there was no space available because you were booked out, completely understandable. But when we requested to come have breakfast and just see the giraffes we were slapped with an exorbitant rate [over 600 USD] which included a driver, chauffeur, airport transfer and a vehicle BUT when we requested to pay only for the breakfast and to see giraffes and not have to pay for the car and airport transfer because we are Kenyans and commuting from the city, your bookings department refused and said that we had to pay the full amount because it is your policy. . For the longest time, your policy has been to have these type of pricing that only benefit non-Kenyans and tourists coming from outside Kenya. I wonder why all over sudden you are welcoming Kenyans into your establishment. Is it because you now need us for your business to survive? You would not have invited us had it not been for the fact that your business, just like all others, is suffering because of the Covid restrictions. No thanks, I don’t want to come to your establishment and urge all Kenyans to cancel and boycott your establishment that has made it terribly difficult for Kenyans to access. You obviously have the right to run your property the way you deem fit and even have policies that benefit your business structure, just don’t include Kenyans now only because you need us and you wouldn’t have had it that way earlier. YOUR OWN POST SHOWS THAT YOU WERE NOT OPEN TO ALL KENYANS BEFORE! WHY “NOW OPEN TO KENYANS.” . #BoycottgiraffeManor Instead Go to Nairobi National Park, Maasai Mara and especially Samburu national reserve and all conservancies/parks in Kenya to see Giraffes and you don’t have to pay an arm and a leg for it. After all, this is our heritage.

A post shared by ANYIKO OWOKO (@anyikowoko) on Jun 6, 2020 at 12:17am PDT

The backlash came from Kenyans who recounted discriminatory experiences at the hotel due to policies which are seen to be disadvantageous to Africans.

But the hotel said due to the popularity of the property, it has many requests to visit Giraffe Manor at different times but unfortunately due to its admission policy, they are only able to offer an all-inclusive package which includes a night at the manor inclusive of breakfast.

"Like many luxury safari destinations, we do not offer breakfast as a stand-alone service and as an extremely intimate property we are unable to facilitate walk-ins at any time," the statement read.

It's very difficult to visit "Giraffe Manor" in Kenya since way back if you're not white or with white friends. This place caters for whites and the racist Indians, any black person there is a staff! this "under the carpet racism" need to be addressed!#BlackLivesMattters

— Beata mbutei (@beatambutei) June 7, 2020

It further read, " We regret if this policy means disappointment for some but it is necessitated by the desire to ensure the absolute best and safest environment for the giraffes, our staff and guests".

The hotel said it is saddened by any offense caused by the wording of the advert.

"We have noted that it has been deleted from the agent's feed, we have also requested that they offer an apology to the public for this miscommunication," the statement read.

The agency Ahnasa Destinations Ltd in its apology said the intention of the promotion was to inform the public that Giraffe Manor is open to those within Nairobi Metropolitan limits due to current restrictions.

"This was unfortunately misconstrued to imply that Giraffe Manor was not previously open to Kenyans which is not correct," the agency said.