Southern Spoor

Refurbishments, ladies wing and sustainability programmes at Sarova Hotels & Resorts

In line with Sarova Hotels & Resorts’ commitment to provide bespoke experiential stays, the prestigious hotel group has embarked on a series of refurbishments at Sarova Mara Game Camp, launched a ladies-only wing named after Nobel peace prize laureate, Wangari Maathai, at Sarova Panafric, and introduced a series of sustainability initiatives across its hotels to reduce single-use plastic.

Refurbishments have continued in earnest at Sarova Mara Game Camp with the first two upgrade
phases seeing 39 standard tents upgraded into luxurious deluxe tents and one family tent updated into
a spacious, tastefully designed space. Six deluxe tents and another family tent are nearing completion,
with other upgrade efforts continuing well into 2023. Sarova will endeavor to ensure all noise and
disturbances are kept to a minimum. The end result will be 75 luxury tents innovatively built for
ultimate comfort and in harmony with the Masai Mara ecosystem.

Of the 75 tents each with en-suite bathrooms, the game lodge will consist of 52 deluxe tents, 8
superior deluxe tents, 12 Club tents, and 3 x 2-bedroomed family tents all surrounded by
magnificent rolling grasslands. The game camp provides unrivalled getaway experiences for
families, couples, groups of friends, and corporate teams, extending Sarova’s renowned
refreshing African hospitality to each guest.

For an extra bespoke experience, guests staying in the impressive Club Tent room category
receive instant access to the Olchani Club Lounge – an exclusive, cozy space that provides the
ultimate luxury experience for total unwinding. The lounge, which has scenic views of the fishing
lake and beyond from a wooden deck, is open from 7am to 10pm and guests can enjoy:

  • Express check-in to the club tent room category
  • Personalised service
  • Complimentary refreshments
  • Live cooking from 3pm
  • Open bar from 6 to 9pm
  • An exclusive bonfire area adjacent to the lounge for relaxation before or after dinner.

In keeping true to Sarova Panafric’s reflection of African heritage while providing high and modern standards of comfort, Sarova has captured the essence of one of Kenya’s own women trailblazers in an exclusive ladies-only wing. Named after Nobel peace prize laureate, Wangari Maathai, the wing is a first of its kind in Kenya, and comprises 6 luxurious master en-suite rooms dedicated solely to female travelers.

 

Right from the entrance of the wing, a full-size portrait of a smiling Wangari catches guests’ attention, one of a selection of cheery artworks, consisting of murals inscribed with her most famous quotes. Pleasing to the senses, textured fabrics and delightful scents give this wing a very befitting feminine look and feel, while delicate petit fours await each guest on the study desks, along with reading material written by women trailblazers. There is maximum use of natural light which highlights pops of peppy color from bold African prints incorporated into the theme. All amenities provided offer convenience as much as they do comfort with careful consideration taken to make them eco-friendly. Enhanced security features consist of an intercom camera and a double-lock door facility. The wing is served by female-only wait staff who include housekeeping, room service, and security personnel.

Inside six other newly created Studio Suites, no comfort has been spared to offer guests guaranteed luxury. There is no compromise on space either and an airy terrace provides an ambient space to relax, entertain a guest or just catch up on a work deadline.

For differently abled guests, three spacious rooms have been set aside that have interconnecting doors easily converting into 6 rooms to accommodate caregivers and family. They are carefully designed with high-end features and amenities placed to provide extra ease.

Amenities in the new and refurbished rooms include king-sized beds, a pillow menu, air-conditioning, double-glazed windows, black-out curtains, smart safe-deposit boxes with built-in charge ports, smart flat-screen TVs, high-speed free Wi-Fi, a mini-bar and fridge, complimentary tea & coffee making facilities, exquisite bathtub and rain shower, hair dryer, iron board & box, and vanity kits.

Elimination of plastics

Every straw used within Sarova’s hotels is made of recycled paper. Sarova has eliminated the use of some 6 000 plastic straws that were previously going to landfills as waste after one use.

Sarova has also adopted the use of glass water bottles, which not only provide an aesthetic appeal, but guests can rest assured that single-use plastic bottled water is no longer used in the rooms and the restaurants.

Sarova is proud of its investment at Sarova Lion Hill Lodge, an elaborate, state-of-the-art water filtration and bottling plant which serves to provide drinking water for in-room guests. Sarova aims to take the key learnings from this pilot project and roll out in all their other properties soon.

Another feather in Sarova’s cap is the recent Silver Eco-rating certification awarded to Sarova Shaba & Sarova Lion Hill Game Lodges in the first half of 2023 for demonstrating innovative progress towards achieving environmental conservation, responsible resource use and socio-economic investment. Both units now aim for a gold Eco rating for demonstrating outstanding best practices.

 

Organic farming

The farm-to-plate concept is at the heart of Sarova’s culinary operations. All Sarova Lodges have organic kitchen gardens that allow guests to handpick a wide assortment of herbs and vegetables from which they can create their own meals. The extensive vegetable gardens are tended to by green-thumbed farmhands employed from within the communities around the lodges, thereby creating economic empowerment that extends to their families. Organic mulch sourced from kitchen waste and turned into compost in a neat recycling system is used to conserve the soil’s moisture and improve its fertility.

For more information about Sarova Hotels & Resorts or to arrange a presentation, contact Southern Spoor on info@southernspoor.com.