After remaining shut for three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Iconic Treetops and Outspan hotels are set to reopen in May,, charting a new era for the hospitality sector, under the proprietorship of Deputy President (DP) Rigathi Gachaguas son.
This time, the Treetops Hotel, famed for witnessing the ascension of Queen Elizabeth to the throne 72 years ago, will not only be marketed for its British heritage but also as a significant relic of the Mau Mau movement in Nyeri.
Treetops earned global recognition as the hotel where Elizabeth II went to bed as a princess and woke up as a queen following the death of King George VI.
It was when she was having dinner at the hotel, which was built on top of a fig (Mugumo) tree, that news of the king's demise reached her- marking the beginning of her reign.
She climbed the rickety ladder to Treetops as a princess on February 5, 1952, and descended the following day as a queen.
The queen visited the hotel three times- in 1952, 1959 and 1983. This saw the hotel management name one of the suites after her.
Two years after her first visit, on May 27, 1954, Mau Mau fighters burned down the hotel which had been constructed by a colonial farmer, Captain Bill Sheldrick.
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Captain Sheldrick had felt that the fig tree- which the hotel was built on, provided a good view for observing animals watering in a nearby water hole.
The hotel would later be reconstructed about 100 metres from the old one, by Eric Sherbrooke, the founder of its sister establishment- the Outspan Hotel. The site where the queen's treetop was situated is now enclosed by an electric fence and a fig tree.
The hotel would later be reconstructed about 100 metres from the old one. The site where the queen's treetop was situated is now enclosed by an electric fence and a fig tree.
According to Dr Keith Rigathi, the new hotel owner and son of DP Gachagua, the establishment holds a significant part of Kenyas history on its liberation struggle that has remained untold.
For instance, very few people know that beneath the hotel lie underground tunnels constructed by the Mau Mau fighters for accessing the facility, he explains.
Located roughly 10 kilometers from the hotel which is within the Aberdare Forest, stands a fig tree that served as a post office for the Mau Mau movement.
The fighters would communicate by writing messages and leaving them within the tree. These messages were often inscribed on leaves using charcoal or blood.
the DP on April 4 at the 4th graduation ceremony of the Nyeri National Polytechnic, hinted at the absorption of the hotels.
Our hotels here have died. We have met with businessmen and we have a plan. We have bought Treetops and Outspan hotels. Renovations are going on day and night and these hotels which have not been operational for years will soon be reopened so that visitors can have a place to stay and that we can boost business for Nyeri people, said the DP.
He said that the decision to buy the two historic hotels, stemmed from a challenge that he had shared with the local business people.
They agreed to join me in reviving this sector because we were facing such great shame as people from this great county, Mr Gachagua said.
Furthermore, he noted that the reopening of the two hotels would provide an opportunity for hospitality graduates to apply their skills in a real-world setting.
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Besides Treetops and Outspan, the Green Hills hotel which was opened in the 1970s and is associated with the Late President Mwai Kibaki, has also remained closed.
Before its closure, Green Hills built its reputation by becoming one of the landmark hotels in Nyeri, especially for visitors hoping to stay within town.
The hotel was famed for its family-friendly environment, conference facilities that attracted people carrying out meetings or in-house events in town. It also offered team building activities for company groups spending at the hotel.
In an exclusive interview, Dr Rigathi says that the revamp of the hotel is not meant to eliminate its British history.
It is important to note that we are not distancing ourselves from British heritage. Treetops is a historical site and that richness must be preserved for all. We simply feel that there are many untold stories surrounding the property that would be of great interest to many Kenyans. It is those stories we intend to tell, he says.
Dr Rigathi further explains that the decision to promote the hotel as a local historical site, alongside its international significance, has also been driven by the necessity to adapt to the evolving hospitality sector.
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