UP’s 60 Seconds with PrideInn Hotels’ CEO, Hasnain Noorani

October 5, 2015 Vincent Libosso

At 32, Hasnain Noorani is one of the youngest CEO in the country who has successfully grown PrideInn Group through innovative business development, in a span of three years.

UP caught up with the budding CEO in our weekly sixty seconds round-up.

Describe your first sale/customer.

My first customer was a very large local corporate company. They walked in one day just before the soft opening and booked the whole hotel for one week. I couldn’t believe it! A sale of 12,000 USD even before we were officially opened. I and my team worked overnight preparing the rooms and putting everything in order as they were checking in the following day.

Describe the first customer you lost and why?

Unfortunately, the said corporate was also the first client I lost as they checked out just one day after we booked them. In my excitement to seal my first deal and make all that money, I overlooked a lot of things and obviously as a new hotel there were a lot of teething problems. We had to refund all their money. However, they understood the problem and ever since they have been one of our biggest and most loyal clients. It was a good lesson learnt.

What was your first (code/product) ship like - and was anything similar or different as compared to your most recent?

My first product was a small boutique hotel, PrideInn Westlands and even though I’m still in the hospitality industry, it can hardly compare to what we have now. We have now grown into a 6 hotels chain with 3 in Nairobi and 3 in Mombasa and the 7th one, a 300-roomed beach facility in Mombasa, along Shanzu beach — set to open beginning of next month. That will be our largest and most prestigious facility yet. We will also be opening the 8th hotel in Kisumu and 9th in Eldoret by end of next year. Apart from the hotels we have also ventured into other businesses and we are now a group of 9 companies that include Glory Safaris, Cake City, Glory Driving School, Pride Drive, Pride Fuels just to mention a few.

What’s the best question about your company or the market asked of you in the last 30 days by:

(a) a member of the press?

Just last week a member of the press asked me, “Don’t you think you are too ambitious?” To me that was a compliment because I have never strived to be modestly ambitious, I have always dreamed big.

(b) an investor?

I also recall once talking to an investor and after a presentation he looked at me straight in the eye and in a very serious tone asked me, “Don’t you think you are a little insane?” The presentation was on my plans to invest on a beach facility in Mombasa when hotels at the coast were closing down at that time due to the decline in the industry. The hotel, PrideInn Paradise, is opening next month and he (the investor) will be our first guest!

(c) a customer?

As for a customer, I think the best question I’ve ever been asked by one is whether PrideInn is an international brand. That was a great achievement to me because I felt like all the efforts we had put in and continue to put in to match international hospitality standards had finally paid off.

Getting cultural, what holiday destination in Kenya do you love?

Definitely the Maasai Mara! I love wildlife and the Kenyan savannah has always been my ideal escape. The Maasai culture has also always been of much fascination to me.

Best Kenyan meal?

Ugali, nyama choma and Kachumbari. Believe it or not, am always on the look-out for new nyama choma joints in town. I must have it at least thrice a week.

Favourite quote of all time?

What’s the worst that can happen? Let’s do it!

Before engaging on anything, I always imagine the worst case scenario first and if I’m convinced I can handle it, then I go ahead with it.

Which are your most valued fashion items?

My shirts and watches.

I have over 200 shirts and every morning I can never decide which one to wear.

Give us a brief of your weekend diary.

My weekend starts on Friday afternoon and that’s totally dedicated to my wife and kids. I never have any fixed schedule for Saturdays as it all depends on my workload. Sundays are mostly for swimming with my extended family or a good outing with my friends.