Fairview Hotel

This was my third stay at Fairview, and it has become my favourite weekend staycation hotel in Nairobi. While many people choose the newer luxury hotels in Westlands, I keep coming back here because the atmosphere is completely different. The moment you walk through the gates, it feels like you’ve left the city behind. The hotel is surrounded by mature trees, gardens and birdsong, making it feel more like a peaceful oasis than a city hotel. In my opinion, it’s one of Upper Hill’s best hidden gems. As an IHG member, I’ve always received a warm welcome. I’d like to thank Helen and Gertrude at the front desk, as well as Bernard from the concierge team. During this stay, I was upgraded to a King Deluxe room. When I first entered the room, it was set up with twin beds, but the front desk proactively called me shortly afterwards and offered to have the beds converted into a king-size setup. I really appreciated how flexible and attentive the team was. The room itself isn’t huge, but it’s comfortable and thoughtfully designed. The bathroom is surprisingly spacious, and having a capsule coffee machine in the room is always a nice touch. One thing I particularly enjoy here is the food. Breakfast offers a wide selection and is one of the better hotel breakfasts I’ve had in Nairobi. I also had dinner at the poolside restaurant and highly recommend it. The salmon was excellent—perfectly cooked, tender inside and crispy on the skin. Trevor provided wonderful service. The gym has all the essentials, including treadmills and free weights. What makes it special is the view of the greenery outside. There’s also chilled water available, which is appreciated after a workout. My favourite part of staying here is waking up in the morning to the sound of birds singing outside the window. It’s a small thing, but it perfectly captures what makes Fairview different from most city hotels. Fairview may not be the flashiest hotel in Nairobi, but it has character, history, beautiful gardens and genuinely warm hospitality. If you’re looking for a relaxing staycation away from the bustle of Westlands, this is a wonderful choice.

The services are really nice. Florence gave us a warm welcome. Kirstie is a very exceptional and experienced waiteress. I liked the food. Many thanks to the kitchen team.

This place has an amazing view with endless amounts of greenery all around the hotel, it feels like a real nature walk, you can smell the fresh trees and plants all around you, you could walk endlessly in the green trees, the food is so scrumptious and yummy, big and good looking portion, the rooms have a touch of green inside, it's a very wonderful place to photo shoot, the full hotel gives you luxury nature vibes, this place is easily 5 star

Unfortunately, the new owners have done away with the policy of charging for "non-registered guests." Anyone with experience in Kenya understands that this is the polite way of stating a hotel's intolerance for prostitution. The past owners of the Fairview had this policy, but it is no longer in place. Unfortunately, this means that a small number of guests openly entertain prostitutes into the hotel- at the restaurants, walking through the lobby in and out of rooms, etc. It is certainly a small minority of guests who do so, but they do so without shame. During my recent stay, I clearly expressed my dissatisfaction with the presence of prostitutes after I witnessed a guest celebrating his exploits in the lobby. Let me be clear: it is not the current staff's fault. It is the fault of ownership. The staff are put in the very awkward position of being required to attend to guests' preferences. The only solution for this is for the new ownership to re-establish a no tolerance policy. I have stayed at the Fairview many, many times over the last 20 years. Before this year (when new ownership took over), I never witnessed this behavior which is all too common elsewhere. I do not enjoy leaving this review, but these practices only change if guests speak up.