Tribe opened its doors in September 2008, making it almost two years old.

May 10, 2010 – I did not think that the Tribe Hotel’s recognition by Conde Nast Traveller as one of the best hotels was that big a deal – maybe that was because I didn’t know what the CNT was all about!

Let me share with you, the Conde Nast Traveller is a highly respected global magazine which specialises in covering the luxury travel market. It has editions in the UK and USA and Tribe Hotel made it on the hot list for both versions!

Thousands of hotels world-wide were reviewed and it has been seven years since a Kenyan hotel featured in the Hot Lists. Hot stuff, eh?

“We see this double accolade as good news for the Kenyan tourism industry as a whole. We feel a real sense of revival in the tourism industry in Kenya in 2010, and we’re delighted that Tribe is playing its part in making this country be viewed positively by all the important and discerning foreign travelling community,” said Tribe Hotel’s General Manager, Mark Somen, at a press conference held to release the impact of this recognition to the hospitality and general tourism sector in Kenya.

The magazine cited, among other things, Tribe’s elegant interior design, saying “the hotel mixes contemporary city glamour with carefully placed African art and artefacts.” CN Traveller also singled out Tribe’s “superb” standards of service.

Tribe is Nairobi’s first independent designer boutique hotel and its design is best described as ‘New York chic melds with African warmth.’

This accolade has caught the attention of the Kenya Tourist Board (KTB). Chairman Jake Grieves Cook said; “Tribe is helping Kenya’s hotel industry to be ranked at the very top level in the world and is setting high standards for other leading hotels to emulate.”

Tribe Hotel’s recognition is a boost to Kenya’s tourism industry which is currently emerging from a difficult period marked by the global financial crisis in 2009 and the post-election violence in 2008.

The hotel’s architect was at the conference as well. Mehraz Ehsani said: “From the very initial drawing board stage of design, our benchmark has always been the global hospitality industry, and this accolade establishes Tribe as one of the top properties in the world, an achievement we’re really proud of.”

“We have already earned a reputation of resetting the standards of hotel customer service and accommodation in Nairobi. We are extremely proud of what we’ve managed to achieve in such a short space of time, but for us this recognition is a spring-board for the continued development of Tribe, and the continued growth of tourism in Kenya,” said Hooman Ehsan, Director and Chief of Development at the Hotel.

The Tribe Hotel is well versed with style. For instance, an outdoor Pool vista, floating islands, an in-house 300 DVD collection and a library which contains around 2,800 books.

Set in the leafy suburbs of Gigiri, Tribe Hotel is located at the Village Market. It has quickly established itself as the destination for discerning travellers, hosting among others, luminaries from October’s MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs) including Wyclef Jean and Akon. Other famous people who have experienced the Tribe include Nicole Kidman, Angelina Jolie, and the Princess of Thailand, etc.

In an effort to reverse the notion that the Tribe is not a Kenyan affair, the hotel has launched a new campaign, under the title “We always knew Nairobi is hot, now it’s Hotter”.

The doors slide back close to the vehicle’s body, making it easy for occupants to get into and out in tight parking spaces. Photo/COURTESY

The design team at Mercedes have suddenly been inspired to produce something pleasing to the eye.

I was so disappointed by the E-class, however, the F800 has restored my faith in the brand.

After years of what seemed like shift in design thinking across the motor industry with some good and some very bad outcomes, Mercedes has produced a stunning new design language with what looks like flame surfacing and a pointed snout that signals a sporty for new direction the marque.

The vehicle’s front end features a variation of the radiator grille with the centrally placed brand star that is typical of Mercedes sports cars.

The curved radiator grille bars softly flow around the tube holding the Mercedes-Benz brand star.

Along with the wide radiator grille and the generously curved air intake openings, the model’s unique bright LED headlights emphasises the dynamic nature of the research vehicle.

The headlights are divided into individual segments for daytime running lights, turn signal indicators, and primary headlights.

The F 800 Style’s tail lights are also equipped with state-of-the-art LED units that enable an exciting interplay of indirect illumination and direct beams.

The result is an attractive, unmistakable, and memorable visual effect.

On the inside, Mercedes engineers and designers used lots of wood and light to create comfort.

You will feel light headed in this cabin as they have created a sense of lightness with floating armrests.

The seats too have lightweight construction. Mercedes is very clear about what it expects to achieve with this new design language.

With the F 800 Style, it is underscoring their drive to bring together responsibility for the environment with practical customer benefits and automotive fascination.

The new research vehicle combines this leadership role in innovative drive concepts with classic Mercedes strengths in the fields of design, safety, comfort and superb performance.”

The forward thinking that Mercedes is known for is epitomised in this concept and it is as green as ever.

When developing this vehicle, the engineers paid particular attention to the further development of all-electric driving in urban traffic.

Its drive unit consists of a V6 petrol engine with next-generation direct injection developing around 220 kW (300 hp) and a hybrid module with around 80 kW (109 hp) fully integrated into the casing of the 7G-TRONIC seven-speed automatic transmission, as in the Mercedes-Benz S 400 HYBRID launched in mid-2009.

Its power reserves facilitate a top speed in electric mode of 120 km/h.

This means that the F 800 Style can also handle out-of-town traffic conditions.

The overall output of the hybrid drive stands at around 300 kW (409 hp).

A particularly customer-friendly innovation of the F 800 Style is its rear doors.

Whereas the front doors are attached to the A-pillar in a conventional manner and open wide toward the front, the rear doors slide backward when opened, as they are suspended from an interior swivel arm.

Because the doors slide back close to the vehicle body, occupants find it much easier to get into and out of the automobile in tight parking spaces.

The F800 Style also has no B-pillar, making the entire space between the A and C-pillars completely accessible when the doors are opened.

Despite the lack of a B-pillar, the F 800 Style boasts a bodyshell that is both extremely robust and lightweight, and that meets the stringent demands for crash safety that are a hallmark of the Mercedes brand.

The F 800 Style is both a technology package and a showcar.

This research vehicle was created through close cooperation between technical research and advanced engineering departments and the advanced design studios in Sindelfingen, Germany and Como, Italy.

Its exterior appearance is marked by a long wheelbase, short body overhangs, and a sensually flowing roof line.

“The exciting coupe-like roof line, and in general the vehicle’s balanced proportions, lend it a stylish sporty look that reinterprets the Mercedes-Benz design idiom and emphasises the sculptural character of the F 800 Style,” said Mercedes-Benz head of design Prof. Gorden Wagener. “The result is a harmonious blend of innovative form and function, which conveys a sense of great styling and authority.”

Safety is a key feature of all Mercedes vehicles and this comes strongly in the F800.

It has a new feature called Traffic Jam Assistant which heightens comfort and active safety.

The innovative protective system known as PRE-SAFE 360° further improves passive safety.

This system is based on the proactive occupant protection system PRESAFE® developed by Mercedes-Benz.

Unlike the previous system, PRE-SAFE 360° also monitors the area behind the vehicle.

As a result, the system engages the brakes around 600 milliseconds before an anticipated rear-end collision occurs.

The advantage of this system is that braking a stationary vehicle that is hit in the rear helps prevent secondary accidents such as those that occur when the car is catapulted uncontrolled into an intersection or a pedestrian crossing.

It goes without saying that PRE-SAFE 360° also allows the driver to take control at any time.

For example, the brake is immediately released if the driver hits the acceleration pedal knowing that there is sufficient space in front of his or her own vehicle to avoid the rear impact.

An exciting future awaits wabenzes in Kenya.

-www.businessdailyafrica.com

Many lovers will talk about anything, even sex, before talking about finances. Research shows that money issues are the leading causes of friction in relationships.

Couple’s can take advantage of the cozy Valentine’s mood to talk about money. Andrew Gichure and Esther (pictured above), who have been married for over 20 years, discovered this secret early.

“Our openness with our money started long before marriage. I knew the length of his payslip and he knew mine,” says Esther, 42.

Since then, money has been the centre of their daily talk. “We are both in business and we all go different directions each day to make money, and so we meet in the evening to compare notes.”

Financial experts and marriage counsellors say knowing the net worth of your partner is important for long-term relationships. Also, know your partner’s family because it is possible that your finances will be used to help his or her family.

Joint accounts

Keep your investments simple and agree on how money is saved and invested. While the Gichures run different businesses, they operate a joint account for the family, personal accounts and separate accounts for each of their companies.

“The joint account is very free,” says Mr Gichure.

“Each one of us deposits some amount money into it and that goes into our monthly household budget, school fees for the children and other domestic expenditures.”

Mr Patrick Wameyo, a financial literacy coach at the Financial Academy & Technologies, says the key issue is how to trust each other’s ability to handle money productively.

“Mistrust,” he says, “is normal and is a product of a couple’s different behaviours. The behaviours result from characters which they developed under different family beliefs and attitudes about money and wealth. They now need to create a new family financial behaviour and provide a fresh family environment for it to grow.”

Couples should must therefore change their financial behaviours whether it takes talking about money everyday until they trust each other’s ability to handle money well.

“We sit down and discuss what should be included in our budget and what should not.

Some independence

We adjust according to changing needs, school fees and of course prices of commodities and it keeps our spending in check,” says Mr Gichure, who takes care of school shopping. His wife takes care of groceries and share water and electricity bills.

Riding on a common budget doesn’t mean a spouse cannot enjoy some autonomy on money. They use individual accounts to cater for personal needs like Esther’s salon and Andrew’s occasional beer.

“These accounts were triggered by our need not to interfere with our monthly budget and also to give each other the freedom to look good and feel good,” says Mr Gichure.

Esther, an IT consultant who took early retirement three years ago, used to earn three times more than her husband, but free discussions helped forestall any complexes. And whenever one gets broke, the other comes in to the rescue.

“He is ever willing to rescue me with some cash whenever I hit my pocket seams, and I sometimes do the same. However, I do not go petty and push him to account for every coin that he spends,” she adds.

Their financial freedom is such that whenever Esther travels, she leaves her ATM card with the husband.

“I try to stick to how much she has said I spend and on what. If I cross that line, I surely inform her about it,” says Mr Gichure.

Trust is key

A few years back before Esther quit her job, she took Sh4 million loan and entrusted it with her husband to oversee construction of their home in Nairobi. “She did not strain me to account for every coin spend on the building.

But I surely took it upon myself as a responsibility to see that the quality of the building was worth with what was spent on it. I am still keeping the receipts.”

So when is the right time to start talking money with your honey? “The ideal situation for a couple is to begin discussing money while they are still dating,” says Mr Wameyo, the financial expert.

Plan together

“If this does not happen, it should form part of the premarital counseling discussions, so that they can start their family on a stable financial platform in line with their common aspirations.”

Financial planners advise couples to plan investments together. The Gichures, for instance, jointly own property apart from the car which is in the man’s name the house he acquired before marriage. They also co-own their businesses.

“We plan for holidays together,” Esther says.

Andrew draws a holiday budget and ensures implementation because, he says. Esther has the temptation to spend beyond our budget.

The Gachures say lovers should learn each other’s money character before settling into marriage. Financial experts advise money secrets, as they can ruin a marriage.

“If one party hides some money, mistrust will prevail especially when the other party suspects or finds out,” says Mr Wameyo.

“The ideal situation for a couple is to put all their money plans and peculiar problems on the table and work out a budget for expenses, savings, and investing that reflect their common aspirations and problems.”

money@nation.co.ke