Aturukan Hotel

After a stay of three nights, it's become obvious that the Aturukan has fallen on hard times. Despite an outward appearance that speaks of a nice resort-style hotel and prices that are comparable to what one pays in the US, it's obvious that the drip-drip of deferred maintenance has taken its toll. The ceiling fan in the room just grinds and barely turns, the coffee machine in the lobby still hasn't been fixed in the two years since we last stayed here, and there's no hot water in the bathroom sink, to name just a few examples. Burned out light bulbs that have never been replaced is another feature. During our stay just before the holidays in December, it appears there may have been two or three other rooms occupied; otherwise, it was near ghostly in its quietude. The staff is very friendly and welcoming, but they are at the mercy of ownership that has refused to invest in necessary upkeep. In the restaurant, it's obvious that they've skimped on kitchen staff as well.

I was at Arturkan for business, nice place to relax with family, has a swimming pool and a gym. The rooms are okay, clean but not very spacious, a small working desk. The rooms are very close to the restaurant/ bar and the sound from the music is not conducive for work. They provide plenty of water in the rooms too. The internet speed is great!The staff are friendly- reception, to the servers. Evan’s was exceptionally helpful. Also no clear instructions on how they serve their meals. One time is buffet another time is A la carte. I enjoyed my stay and would recommend it for a weekend away from home.

The only thing that fits the price is the washroom.. they are nice and modern! Everything else is old school and seems to have been from a different era or chosen without much thought to fill up the space. Brown carpets that seem dirty and haven't been cleaned in a while. To make matters worse, the fridge in the room was wobbly (one leg missing) and didn't have a power source close to it ( there's only one socket in the room) so we couldn't put anything in it. Curtains are quite light so if you cannot sleep without blackout curtains, then this place is not for you. Breakfast was subpar. Again, expected more variety for the price we paid. I wouldn't really recommend this place.

For being an upscale hotel, this place was a real disappointment. Kitale gets very chilly in the evening and there is no heat in the rooms, so sitting around your room in comfort is not an option. They will provide a portable electric heater, but it's an extra charge, extra charge!!! They provide a thick duvet for sleeping, but otherwise you'd better huddle around your little overpriced electric heater. There is no hot water available in the bathroom sink. And the overall shabby appearance of the place points to many instances of deferred maintenance. The bathroom design is a real head scratcher. The entire front wall is glass as is the giant door, so privacy is non-existent. And, the door is a real hazard; being completely transparent plate glass, one can easily walk into it to great discomfort or even danger. The electric kettle provided has a European plug (?!) so you can't plug it into the UK-style socket of which there are only two in the room, one for the refrigerator, so it makes it very inconvenient to charge devices and use anything else electrical. The espresso machine in the lobby is broken (surprise!), so fresh coffee is not an option. Music (so-called) played in the disco bar downstairs permeates at least half of the rooms on that end of the building, so don't plan to sleep unless they're kind enough to turn it off as they did when I asked, but it's an extra hassle. And, who's to say it doesn't start up again at 1:00am? And, management only provides one room keycard (creating a second one, we're told, invalidates the first one), so separate coming and going for spouses is impossible or inconvenient. The breakfast buffet was the same tiresome, unimaginative fare that one would normally expect only from a lesser facility. These various factors point to neglect and indifference on the part of management. My wife even quipped, "Maybe they're trying to manage it by remote control from China!" In their favor, the staff was friendly and accommodating within the limits imposed by a penny-pinching management and they provided an acceptable buffet for a group of 12 on 2 hours' notice.