Grandeur is all very well, but without a touch of glamour a high-end hotel is just that: a smart place to sleep in.
Until recently, Nairobi’s luxury hotel scene was stuck in this rut, the likes of the Norfolk and Stanley being good at what they do (offering five-star service in opulent surroundings) but rarely offering excitement. Now, Tribe has provided Nairobi with an injection of contemporary cool. Despite a name that appears to hark back to the past – Tribe’s motto is in fact “one tribe, the human race” – the hotel is utterly modern, fusing slick Manhattan loft interiors with an earthy African warmth.
In the two months since its official opening, the hotel has already played host to Angelina Jolie and Nicole Kidman, as well as luminaries from October’s MTV Africa Music Awards, including former Fugee Wyclef Jean.
Architect Mehraz Ehsani, whose boutique brainchild is all about surprise and asymmetry, claims to be reacting against the Holiday Inn-style “box”. “No pot-plants here,” he says. “And you won’t find many right angles either.” He’s right: Tribe beguiles from the start. Neither a block nor a high-rise, the newly built four-storey structure lies low, sinking back into its sloping grounds, a black ripple in the exterior walls disguising the lines of windows. [...]