Jun 26, 2025
📍 Recorded studio-style, Glenn Haussman and producer Suzanne welcome Shamim Ehsani, co-founder of Tribe Hotel in Nairobi to #NoVacancyNews, who’s challenging the clichés of African #hospitality and revealing a bold, design-led approach to travel experiences in Kenya.
🌍 Here’s what you’ll hear:
• 🏨 How Tribe Hotel helped lead the transformation of Nairobi’s hotel scene from colonial formality to contemporary cultural expression
• 🎨 The Ehsani family’s dedication to art, architecture, and experience-driven design, including a 900+ piece in-house art collection
• 🦁 A look at exclusive offerings like night safaris, running with former world-record marathoners, and showcasing Kenya beyond the expected
• 🍽️ Why they shifted the hotel’s food program to be authentically African — after testing over 170 dishes for the new menu at Jiko restaurant
• 🤯 A global pet-peeve list turned design blueprint: Shamim’s hilarious and relatable frustrations with things like long check-ins, weak Wi-Fi, minibar gouging, and windows that don’t open
💬 “We didn’t want another hotel that mimicked outdated ideas. We wanted to build something that feels like Nairobi — modern, stylish, and true to who we are.” – Shamim Ehsani
🙌 Special thanks to Actabl — Actabl gives you the power to profit. Visit Actabl.com to learn more.