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A big secret in the heart of Nairobi

NAIROBI, Kenya – Intercontinental Hotel hosted key clients and media personalities to a cocktail and tour of the expansive but quiet facility, dubbed ‘Twende’ .

Business here goes on calmly and efficiently, with most of the noise emanating from the Safari Bar and of course, for that evening, our group.

As we trudged around the establishment, Assistant Director Sales and Marketing Lucy Macridis explained that the event, which usually takes place once a quarter, is aimed at building and sustaining long term profitable relationships, targeting new clients and promoting product offerings.

Macridis says the concept is based on a guided house tour by hotel employees to key points within the hotel where invited guests are privy to, but everyone else has no clue about.

“Our inspiration is the fact that despite our hotel having been around for more than 40 years, most of the people have never been to some of these very key points in the hotel,” she said.

The House tour included visits to the; function rooms, restaurants, accommodation rooms, presidential suite, Club lounge and of the InterContinental Team.

First up was the array of restaurants which boast different cuisine, and which end up at the poolside.

“Classic Italian” is how you’ll remember an evening in La Prugna D’Oro, the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant. Intercontinental diningThe menu offers a wide selection of regional Italian dishes, including the Risotto Con Zucca, for which it has become quite renowned.

If that’s not your cup of mocha you can try the hotel’s Indian restaurant Bhandini – which transports you to Northern India with fine cuisine and a sophisticated setting. The Chef works his chilli-hot magic in a glass-enclosed kitchen so you can see what goes into your tummy.

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The highlight of the event though was a visit to the Presidential Suite that has hosted prominent visitors – you know, the ones that everybody knows?

For instance, the current US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and her predecessor, Collin Powell have stayed there.

“Intercontinental Nairobi has had the pleasure to host such prominent personalities due to the high security standards of the Presidential suite.”

The décor is simply breath-taking – simple but expensive and completely comfortable. At a cost of just $3,000 a night, you can sit in this secure room and look at bullet proof glass for the first time. You can also dust on some talcum powder after using the little girl’s/boy’s room. The main suite has a Jacuzzi and Turkish shower, and so you certainly get what you paid for.

The suite has a spacious lounge, a kitchenette with a table-top cooker, a dining area and a cosy room for the bodyguard.

It sits on one of the executive floors, which host about 60 rooms. The two bed-roomed suites are also fantastic and can really help those nice guys who don’t know how to chat up chics.

I know for a fact that towards the end of last year, their occupancy was almost 100 percent. I guess when they say they ‘observe very high standards, and have the best security’, they weren’t lying!

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