Hotels are creating innovative changes to win back guests to restaurants, bars, catered meetings and overnight stays as Covid-19 ravages linger.

Hotel chain Sarova Hotels and Resorts has not been left behind. It has whipped up a new growth recipe by venturing into the restaurant business in the wake of coronavirus that has hurt its hotel outlets like the Stanley and Panafric.

The chain opened two restaurants at Urban Eatery in Westlands, namely Chiso that will focus on Japanese, Malay, Thai, Indonesian and Chinese food and The Kitchen, which offers Western, African and Indian food. The two outlets come as the number of foreign visitors to Kenya fell by two thirds due to Covid-19 between January and October last year.

The drop has hurt Sarova luxury hotels like the Stanley and lodges in parks like Masai Mara and Lake Nakuru.

International visitor numbers fell to fewer than 500,000 in the first 10 months to October from 1.7 million in the same period in 2019, with the industry having lost close to Sh109 billion in revenue.

“Taking our cuisine brands out of our hotels and making them stand alone restaurants is our latest new development,” Jimi Kariuki, Sarova managing director is quoted as saying during the opening of the restaurants late last year.

“We at Sarova have seen this as an opportunity to innovate and to be creative through ‘exporting’ our cuisine experiences outside of our hotels.”

Sarova will now battle with other eateries such as Artcaffe, Java, Urban Burger and Nyama Mama.

“We feel the market has become quite sophisticated in terms of cuisines and that’s why we decided to venture outside the hotel,” Mr Kariuki said.

“Urban Eatery is a trendy dining space which offers different kitchens that offer different cuisines. Sarova have taken up two of the kitchens which will be branded.”