How a Persian Entrepreneur Beat The Odds And Changed The Game In Nairobi's Hotel Sector

Sham Ehsani is a Persian Entrepreneur who, together with his family, beat the odds and changed the game in Nairobi’s hotel sector. The Ehsani’s left Iran before the 1979 revolution and came to Kenya en route to Australia. They stopped in Nairobi to visit a relative, an architect lured to Kenya to establish the architecture program at the University of Nairobi, and never left. That was 25 years ago. The family bought up real estate, and developed one of the city’s first shopping centres, Village Market. In 2008, joined by another family, the Ehsani’s opened Tribe, the country’s first design-driven property and boutique hotel. The name, with its traditionally divisive connotations, given there are an estimated 42 tribes in Kenya, alone, was a huge risk. Consultants warned the name could single-handedly bring failure. But, the name stuck, and rather than flop, Tribe has become a haven for hip, successful Kenyans and expats as well as guests from the tech sector, and NGOs, with UN offices nearby. A perfect storm of a rising middle class, and an increasing return of the Diaspora, has created demand for French-style bistros, in the form of an Israeli-owned chain called Art Café, and more boutique-style hotels. Demand is so great; Ehsani has plans for a second hotel just down the road. Meanwhile, he’s disrupted the hotel industry in Kenya with “best available” rates, based on occupancy levels.