Stanley Hotel at Nairobi:

We stayed at this historic Stanley hotel the first 3 nights and received a grand tour from the head butter, very educated, spoke perfect queen’s English.

It was established in 1902 by English businesswoman Mayence Bent, when the city was a railway halt. It is named after Sir Henry Morton Stanley, a Welsh explorer, journalist, soldier, colonial administrator, author, and politician famous for his exploration of Central Africa, search for the sources of the Nile and Congo rivers.

The original Stanley Hotel was destroyed in a fire, so they built a New Stanley Hotel in 1913. It was renovated in 1950 and in 1958 it was demolished and new structure was built. See below the original Stanley Hotel (c. 1904), the new Stanley Hotel in 1913 and renovated one in 1960.

Since the early 1900s, the Stanley Hotel has been known as the traditional meeting place for those going on safari in Kenya. It has played host to royalty, politicians, movie stars, and authors. Several of the suites and other rooms are named after them.

• The Windsor penthouse suite, named for Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor
• The Karen Blixen suite, named for Karen Blixen, author of Out of Africa
• The Hemingway conference suite, named for author Ernest Hemingway
• The Churchill Ballroom, named for Winston Churchill, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
• The Stanley Presidential Suite, named for famed explorer Henry Morton Stanley. p.s. President Obama stayed in Stanley Presidential suite when he visited after becoming president.

P.s. All suites come with a 24-hr. butler, even today. The photo below was taken by Neelam’s personal butler.

Karen Blixen (Her life story is depicted in Out of Africa movie) Suite. She often came to the hotel to stay when in town. 

Stanley Suite: See old fashioned recliner at bottom RHS.

The original clock from 1902, from the first hotel. Currently in the lobby. See two paintings on the seat. More on that later.

A real working telephone from 1930 or so, in the lobby. You can make a call to room.

An explorer planning her Safari with navigational geographical map. This is the Club House on 8th floor, full of historical and biographical books about Kenya and Safari.

Can you notice 2 paintings on Canvas in the middle shelf? More in the next post.

The hotel has famous Thorn Tree Café, named for the original acacia tree used for years as a message depot. The café is named after a Naivasha thorn tree in its center. Travelers used to pin notes to others onto the thorns of the tree. The tourists still leave messages and advertisements.

The famous Acacia Tree and the Thorn Tree Café with Maxwell, the head butler

The Exchange Bar: In 1922, Kenya’s first stock exchange was floated in the Exchange Bar at the hotel; that exchange ultimately developed into the Nairobi Securities Exchange in 1954.

Ernest Hemingway: Hemingway stayed at the hotel on several occasions. In 1934, Hemingway stayed for several weeks while recovering from amoebic dysentery. During this time, he made notes for his books Green Hills of Africa and The Snows of Kilimanjaro. Hemingway mentions the Stanley in these works, and is also credited with introducing the word "Safari" to the English language. Below is Ernest Hemingway on safari, 1934.

Below is President Rosevelt on a Safari with his entourage. After staying here, he realized the importance of nature and when he returned to US, designated/created many National parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges. He also championed the Antiquities Act, which allowed presidents to protect historic landmarks and other significant sites as national monuments.

Colonel John Henry Patterson, who wrote the true story The Man-eaters of Tsavo that inspired the film The Ghost and the Darkness, also found his inspiration while staying at the Stanley. 

Elspeth Huxley, author of The Flame Trees of Thika, The Mottled Lizard, Red Strangers, and other books, frequented the Stanley Hotel and used it as a setting for several of her works.

Queen Elizabeth II (then Princess Elizabeth) attended a civic luncheon at the Stanley Hotel during her 1952 visit to Kenya. This event was part of her royal tour of Kenya, which famously included her stay at Treetops Hotel, where she learned of the death of her father and her accession to the throne. They say, she came in as a princess, but left as a queen.