TORONTO—Fairmont Hotels & Resorts announced that the Fairmont Mara Safari Club has opened following an extensive renovation program. Surrounded on three sides by the Mara River, and on the edge of the world’s Seventh “New” Wonder of the World—the Masai Mara—Fairmont Mara Safari Club specializes in tented luxury. The resort will be joined by two additional renowned Kenyan properties in the coming months; in total, $35 million of phased enhancements have been invested into Fairmont Mara Safari Club, Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club.
With four poster, pillow-top beds and a veranda overlooking the hippo and crocodile-filled river, each of the 50 tents at Fairmont Mara Safari Club is furnished with its own private, three-piece bathroom, including a number of “outdoor showers” in select tents. The larger-sized accommodations also feature expanded decks which allow for private dining, a new service.
The main lodge at the center of camp hosts an indoor restaurant, bar, and library. A spacious outside deck overhangs the river and leads to a heated pool, complete with bar and private massage tents. Outdoor dining will be enhanced with the creation of a boma, a structure influenced by traditional homesteads, where guests can enjoy a cultural dinner reflecting not only African cuisine but also rich musical accompaniment.
Guests can choose from a wide range of activities at Fairmont Mara Safari Club, including game drives and balloon safaris over the Mara plains, a champagne breakfast on the savannah, or a stroll in the footprints of the hippo-trodden path escorted by a Masai Moran. The location provides a perfect base for visiting the Masai Mara, one of the world’s richest wildlife reserves, and home to an array of animals including zebras, cheetahs, wildebeests, and gazelles.
Outreach Programs Planned
Fairmont’s commitment to the land and communities where it does business is a hallmark of the brand, and the company looks forward to furthering not only its approach to responsible hotel operations but also developing innovative community outreach programs in Kenya.
Also opening under the Fairmont banner are Fairmont The Norfolk and Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, which are in the final stages of refurbishment. Opened in 1904, Fairmont Norfolk stands as one of Africa’s most talked about gathering places, hosting luminaries like President Theodore Roosevelt and “Out of Africa’s” Isak Dinesen. Today, the 165-room property serves as a hub of Nairobi business and is an ideal safari departure point, with four restaurants, an outdoor pool, a ballroom and four function rooms.
Just 190 kilometers (118 miles) to the north, Fairmont Mount Kenya Safari Club, situated at the base of Mount Kenya, the second highest mountain in Africa, features 120 rooms in cottages, villas and suites on 100 acres of grounds, as well as a nine-hole golf course, pool, tennis and varied opportunities for adventure including horseback riding, bird watching, fishing, and an animal orphanage, as well as being a celebrated base for safaris. Founded by Oscar-winning actor William Holden, club membership included Winston Churchill, Bing Crosby and John Wayne.
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