Stanley Hotel, Nairobi
| Sarova Stanley | |
|---|---|
Hotel logo | |
The hotel in 2025 | |
Interactive map of the Sarova Stanley area | |
| Former names | New Stanley Hotel |
| Etymology | Named for Henry Morton Stanley |
| General information | |
| Location | Kimathi St, Nairobi, Kenya |
| Opened | 1902 |
| Owner | Sarova Group |
| Other information | |
| Number of rooms | 217 |
| Number of restaurants | 3 + 1 bar |
| Facilities | Pool, Gym, Conference Room, Business Center, Ballroom |
| Website | |
| https://www.sarovahotels.com/stanley-nairobi/ | |
The Stanley Hotel (currently called the Sarova Stanley) is a five-star hotel in Nairobi, Kenya. It is the first luxury hotel in Nairobi, having been established in 1902 by English businesswoman Mayence Bent, when the city was a railway halt. It is named after Sir Henry Morton Stanley, a Welsh explorer who is best known for his explorations of central Africa and his successful search for missionary and explorer David Livingstone.
Since the early 1900s, the Stanley Hotel has been known as the traditional meeting place for those going on safari in Kenya. It has played host to royalty, politicians, movie stars, and authors. It is still used for national business conferences and tourism activities.
The Sarova Stanley has a total of 217 rooms as of 2015. Several of the suites and other rooms are named for dignitaries and other notable persons who have stayed in the hotel such as The Windsor penthouse suite, named for Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor; The Karen Blixen suite, named for Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa; The Hemingway conference suite, named for author Ernest Hemingway, and The Churchill Ballroom, named for Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. The Stanley Presidential Suite, named for famed explorer Henry Morton Stanley, has been used by Namibian President Sam Nujoma.
The hotel has three restaurants: the Thorn Tree Café, named for the original acacia tree used for years as a message depot; the Thai Chi Restaurant; and the Pool Deck Restaurant. The Exchange Bar, named for the Nairobi Securities Exchange, is the successor to the Long Bar, where local stocks were first traded in Nairobi.