US Hotel Chain Marriott to Open a Luxury Safari Lodge in Masai Mara, its First in Africa

American multinational hotel chain Marriott International is set to open its first luxury safari lodge in Kenya.

This is after the Maryland-based company signed an agreement with Baraka Lodges Limited to set up the hotel facility at Maasai Mara National Game Reserve in Narok County.

Dubbed the JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge, the facility is expected to open in 2023, and will become Marriott’s first luxury safari property in Africa.

“This landmark project is in response to travelers’ growing desire for experiential offerings that enable them to build a deeper connection with their chosen destination," Jerome Briet, Marriott International chief development officer for Europe, Middle East and Africa said in a statement. 

Business Daily reported that the new lodge will overlook the banks of River Talek and will stand on the edge of the expansive reserve. 

"JW Marriott Masai Mara Lodge’s prime location will offer guests a distinctively elevated camp from which to discover the Masai Mara National Reserve, its stunning vistas, abundant wildlife, and endless plains," the company says.

It will feature 20 private tents, among them one presidential canvas-topped pavilion and two interconnecting canopied suites, each with a private terrace overlooking the river.

"Shared spaces will include a restaurant, lounge bar, spa, and a large outdoor terrace with fire pits that will play host to traditional Masai dance performances in the evening," Marriot said.

"The untamed landscape will offer guests the opportunity to observe the “Big Five” that Masai Mara is home to lions, leopards, buffalos, rhinoceros, and elephants.”

Once complete, the facility will employ at least 50 locals and will compete with other luxury brands in the reserve including British billionaire Richard Branson's Mahali Mzuri, Keekorok Lodge, Olare Mara Kempinski and Ol Seki Hemingways Mara Camp, among others.