Fairmont The Norfolk Hotel

We stayed two nights in the Karen Blixen suite. It was very nice and roomy. Beautiful patio area. 24 hour bar and gorgeous lobby. The staff met our every need and more. They were extremely accommodating. I highly recommend Karen as a massage therapist, as it was the best I’ve ever had. The only downfall is the sketchy location, but most places we saw in Nairobi were sketchy. They have good security and a high fence surrounding the property. I always felt safe.

I was excited to visit Fairmont Norfolk for Jazz night on fridays . I booked a table for 6 all confirmed , only to find out on arrival that no table was booked and had to settle for what was available . Ambiance , jazz and food was good . Service was below average . Food and drinks took 45 mins to come , after asking 3 times . All cold by the time it came . When the high table got empty we asked to be moved which was accommodated , only to find the manager Kennedy coming to request us to move as someone booked it that morning . Where was fairmont when we booked 3 days ago ! We settled to stay on same table . Fairmont get your act together !

UPDATE 1: I wrote my initial review on day 1, and now it's my last day – nobody has even bothered to reach out or fix anything. This truly shows how little the staff and management care about your stay. I'm thankfully done tomorrow and moving on with my vacation. My hope is this review helps even one person avoid what we've gone through. It's your decision and money if you still risk staying here. OTHER unresolved ISSUES in the last 3 days: The AC rattles loudly at night. Asking for cutlery or help from reception takes 2 hours and multiple follow-ups with no results. Pillows are lumpy and broken, and the mattress is the same, leading to back pain every morning. **** ORIGINAL REVIEW: The Fairmont Norfolk shouldn't be called a Fairmont property. I'm only on day one of a three-night stay with my family, and I already feel cheated. If you have the option, never, ever choose Fairmont over Raffles or Sofitel. I certainly won't again. Pick a Marriott if those aren't available, but absolutely avoid this Fairmont. As an Accor Gold Member, I've never experienced such a bad stay. This is a run-down, old property that seems to expect guests to lower their standards. The elevator isn't working! The staff is downright rude and unwelcoming. Rooms are cramped, small, and desperately need refurbishing. To top it off, the policies are horrendous, and for some reason, the staff seems to have a chip on their shoulder! Things went from bad to worse to rock bottom. The receptionist at the only restaurant failed to acknowledge or welcome us, even reluctant to share the à la carte menu, telling us to go to the bar instead. Luckily, our server at Cin Cin was very welcoming. There's no concept of luxury here; it's all about money-mindedness and cold staff. I've stayed at many Fairmont, Raffles, and Sofitel properties worldwide, but never faced these tactics at a premium Accor brand. Accor should look into this and at least warn customers that Fairmont Norfolk won't provide basic amenities like drinking water despite charging hundreds of dollars per night. The Fairmont Norfolk is unique: you pay a business-class, five-star fare to stay in a three-star economy class. They limit you to four 500ml drinking water bottles per day; after that, you have to buy water! At a premium Accor property, this is a joke, unless you're actually living through it. They don't care about comfort, only seeing you as a source for additional money. You pay thousands but still have to "pay more" for basic facilities – they wanted to charge us an additional three to four bucks a bottle for water! We just came from the Fairmont Masai Mara, which was a true premium Accor property. Forget charging for water; they did everything to make our stay feel luxurious and memorable. Fairmont Masai Mara and Fairmont Nairobi are like day and night. There's no similarity apart from the Nairobi property using the Fairmont name. ****** TLDR Version Fairmont Norfolk is a massive disappointment and doesn't live up to the Fairmont name or 5-star standard. It's an old, rundown property with rude, uncaring staff, cramped rooms, and nickel-and-diming policies (like charging for drinking water). As an Accor Gold Member, I've never had such a bad experience, complete with noisy AC, broken amenities, and ignored complaints. AVOID at all costs and choose other Accor brands or Marriott instead. Fairmont Masai Mara, in contrast, was a true luxury experience, highlighting how poor the Nairobi property is.

While we enjoyed our stay in the heritage property and the wonderful lawns, we were extremely let down by the attitude of some of the staff and particularly because of the broken elevator. We were a family visiting Kenya - with a Accor PLATINUM and a Accor GOLD member in the group. Having booked the Fairmont, we were expecting top notch hospitality and service. On arrival, the hotel did not acknowledge the Accor platinum and gold status of the members staying, outside of offering the complimentary welcome drinks. The rooms were allocated on the 2nd floor, and the elevator broke down on day 0. We spoke to the front desk and the manager in charge (Joseph), who every day confirmed the same would get fixed in the next few hours. It never did - until the end of our stay. No effort was made to move the rooms to the ground floor INSPITE of telling Joseph that one of the members staying had trouble climbing stairs. Apparently, nothing was available! That ruined our stay of the holiday. The staff at the pool was also two levels below what is expected at Fairmont. Not courteous or helpful. Ok for a 3 star property, but definitely not the Fairmont. I mean, the experience we had at Fairmont Mara after that - wow! Just Wow! The team in Nairobi clearly has a thing or two to learn from them. I assume there would be better properties to stay at in Nairobi. This one clearly doesnt live up to the Fairmont Name. The first one to disappoint.

Serene place to stay in the bustling city of Nairobi. Beautiful grounds, colonial architecture, room was standard, nothing to dislike. Staff are friendly and efficient. I had dinner in the lounge… food was tasty though somewhat overpriced. The breakfast spread was excellent. I stayed here after my weeklong safari and it was a perfectly relaxing stay. PS: They cleaned my safari boots, which needed some cleaning after a week in the bush, and they did a perfect job.